Day Twenty-One
It's another fairly early rise for most of us. The occupancy of our shelter has doubled, which means much less personal space and a lot of new sound and movement. It's strange how accustomed I've become to my teammates -- I found it hard to sleep last night because of the different breathing patterns in the tent.
A lot of people were tossing and turning last night, but nobody seems to want to mention it this morning. Sure, we slept ten to a tent last night, but it was the only night where there will be ten of us. Today we challenge for individual immunity, and tonight someone else will be going home. The game is shifting into an entirely different gear.
The newcomers are eager to check out the waterfall and pool, and we former Miti Matai members are even more eager to try out the soap and shampoo that was brought over from the other camp. We all change into swimsuits, grab our towels and make our way into the jungle. There is light conversation, but there are also a lot of veiled glances and whispering between people. After tonight we can play "getting to know you" some more, but today we all have to decide who to vote for in order to make our former tribe dominant.
Kiki, Ellen and I head straight for the waterfall with the shampoo. As I wade over to the pouring water, I untie and untangle my braids. We soak our heads, then have a wonderful time scratching and soaping our heads.
"I know it's only been three weeks, but it feels like my hair has grown a foot," Kiki complains. Her bright red hair is noticeably longer, probably because it was so short to begin with. Chet and Pete have also had noticeable hair growth, and both are sporting stubbly beards. I don't notice much difference in the length of my hair, because it was already fairly long to begin with. But it feels absolutely fantastic to scrub away all the dirt and salt that has accumulated in my hair. As we wash our hair we can freely talk about the other team, since the noise of the waterfall covers our voices. We discuss the members of the other team, and decide that Franklin and Toby are our best bets; deplete the number of men, and likewise deplete the people who aren't that fun to be around. I'm glad in a way that Malfoy isn't brought up as a choice. Much as I don't want him to win, I also want to find out what he's doing here. Keeping him around another three days gives me more time to find out his motives.
"I don't know how I'm going to untangle this mess." I manage to rinse most of the shampoo out, but my hair is now a clean, shiny mass of knots. I step out from under the waterfall and start running my fingers through my hair repeatedly, trying to turn my hands into rough combs.
"Here, maybe this will help." I look up to find Malfoy right in front of me, holding up a small comb.
"I don't want to know where you got that," I glare at him. How dare he transfigure a comb and risk both our necks?
"Relax, it's clean," he smirks. "It's a part of my luxury item. I brought a grooming kit." Immediately, I feel bad for assuming the worst about Malfoy. I open my mouth to apologize, until I remember that it is indeed Malfoy in front of me. The last thing I'm going to do is apologize to him for expecting the dangerous behavior I've grown to expect from him. I grab the comb from his hand and start gently coaxing the tangles out of my hair.
"So, this explains the clean-shaven face. What else is in there?" I eyeball the small leather bag in Malfoy's hand.
"Besides the comb and my razor, there's a tweezer and a pair of scissors." He pulls out the various implements and shows them to me. I'm amazed that his razor is a straight razor. The last person I knew with one of those was my Grandfather.
"I wouldn't have expected you to have a Mug..." I catch myself, "um, non-traditional razor like that. I hardly ever see people using them." Malfoy folds it up and tucks it back in the leather bag.
"Well, I've always been one to appreciate man's finer inventions. It's not like there's magic involved, just a lot of skill." He drops a wink. "Though it's nothing compared to a pillow."
"How did you manage to convince the producers to let you bring such a handy kit?"
"Let's just say I can be very persuasive when I need to. Just let me know when you're done with the comb." With that, he walks quickly away to go talk to Franklin, leaving me even more confused. Just when I think Malfoy's being as strange as possible, he ups the ante again. What on earth would Malfoy be doing with a Muggle razor? From what I know of him, he finds all things Muggle to be far below him. But then again, here he is playing a Muggle game, surrounded by Muggles.
I decide to give up trying to figure Malfoy out for now and just reconvene with my tribe. On the way over to talk to Kiki, Pete steps up and catches my arm.
"So, how green is the grass on the other side?"
"What?"
He gives me a pained smile. "Looks like you're getting quite chummy with the other team. I wonder if we can still count on you, or if you're going to move over to the other side with your little blond boyfriend."
"Pete, what the hell is your problem?" I pull my arm out of his grasp. "I am loyal to this team. And the blond is not my boyfriend. If anything, you should be encouraging me to find out whatever I can about the other team."
His smile turns into a sneer. "I don't back losers. Play the game my way, or the other team might overhear all the terrible things you're saying about them. Heck, your own team might be shocked to hear the names you've called them."
I start to tell him that I've never said anything cruel about anyone in the game, but then I catch the gleam in his eye. He knows the truth. But he's willing to spread lies around the camp if it looks like I'm too friendly with the other team. I can't let him see any weakness.
I look him straight in the eye. "Get this through your head. I'm a member of Miti Matai. I gave my word to that team. And I don't go back on my word." I shoulder past him and try to find Kiki, but the production team is herding everyone toward the site for today's immunity challenge. There's nothing I can do but follow.
Marcus gives us his best plastic grin when we arrive at the challenge. "I hope you've all started getting used to your new tribe. As you all know, since you're now on the same team, the challenges will be for individual immunity. The person who wins today's challenge cannot be voted out tonight." He takes the immunity idol back from us, and shows us a large, hideous golden ring. "This is the immunity necklace, and will be worn to tribal council by the winner. This is what you're trying to win today, folks." He puts the necklace on a stump and turns to survey the ocean.
"Look out there." He motions toward the water. "You can see there's a blue flag out there. That blue flag is on a platform. Also on that platform are ten smaller blue flags." He turns and points toward the jungle. "Here's a trail through the trees, clearly marked. The trail goes through the jungle and comes back out near the same place." Finally he indicates a platform with a ladder on the side, about ten feet high. "This will be the finish line for today's challenge. When I give you the go, you will all swim out to the platform and retrieve a flag. Then you will swim back here and race through the jungle path. When you come back out, you'll climb up the platform and put your flag at the top. The first person to plant their flag at the top of the platform wins immunity. Any questions?"
We all shake our heads. Marcus beckons us forward, and we line up behind a rope in the sand. I don't know why, but I'm compelled to catch Malfoy's eye. He's already looking at me. He raises an eyebrow in question, and I shake my head to let him know that he's not on the chopping block tonight. He responds by glancing quickly at Chet. I'm not sure I wanted to know who they were planning on voting for, but I'm certainly glad it's not me. We settle in at the start line, and I feel comforted knowing that I don't have to struggle to win immunity today. I don't know why I trust Malfoy to let me know the truth, but I suspect he also wants me to stick around, in order to find out my own motives for playing the game.
Marcus shouts at us to start, and we race into the surf. I'm not the best swimmer in the world, but I can keep up pretty well with the rest of the group. I don't want to overtax myself, but I also don't want to appear as if I don't care to win. I make it to the platform in fourth place, grab my flag and start swimming back awkwardly with the flag in my hand. I fall behind Sheryl, who has her flag gripped tightly in her teeth as she swims. Emerging from the waves, I take off behind her into the jungle. The path is clearly marked with flags, but it's also crisscrossed with fallen logs and hanging vines. I catch up with Sheryl when she trips over an exposed root, but there's no way for us to catch up to the leaders. As we emerge from the trees again, Pete is already climbing to the top of the platform with his flag in hand. He jams the flag into its holder and howls at the sky, holding his arms above his head in victory.
I cheer for him with the rest of the players, although I'm not particularly supportive of his win.
There's just enough time after the challenge for a quick dinner of rice before we have to go to tribal council. As we gather up our torches and pack our bags, we manage to communicate through quick whispers and glances that our target tonight is Franklin. I feel a little ill inside knowing that for our five votes against Franklin, there will be an equivalent five votes against Chet. I briefly consider telling him that he's the other team's target, but I quickly decide that would be a mistake. He'd want to know how I knew in advance, and he'd probably make a scene.
At least tonight's vote won't surprise me at all. That's a good thing, I suppose.
We file into the tribal council area and find ten seats waiting for us. We settle in, and Marcus rattles off his recap of the last few days' events. His questions are all about how we're dealing with the merge. It's strange, I've quickly acclimatized to having these strange people in our camp, but it seems surreal to have new faces here at the tribal council. Malfoy gets hit with one of Marcus' probing questions.
"Draco, do you think there are still old tribal lines, or are you all one big team now? And do you think the votes will reflect that?"
"Well, I know that I'm already getting to know the other tribe, and they're all a bunch of great people. It will be a shame if any of them leaves tonight. As for tonight's vote, all I know is who I'm voting for. We'll have to wait and see how the chips fall." Marcus smiles and nods, because of course he's watched the footage and knows that we are a tribe divided, right down the middle.
"Just a reminder, those of you who remain after tonight's vote will all remain here on the island until the end of the game. The remaining nine of you will make up a jury of seven and the final two. Now, it's time to vote." One by one we file up. After writing down Franklin's name, I tell the camera the only thing I can think to say, "I'm sure you're a nice guy. I hope you've enjoyed the game."
Marcus walks up to get the container of votes. He brings it back down after a few moments and reads out the very unsurprising names. They alternate, one by one, until there are five for Chet and five for Franklin. Now is the moment of pressure; none of us knows the procedure for breaking a tie. In past seasons, it's been based on number of previous votes received and trivia questions about the game, but it may be different this time.
"Interesting," Marcus begins. "In the case of a tie, the first thing we'll do is have another vote. Franklin and Chet, each of you will be given a chance to let the tribe know why they should change their vote." We suspected this part, at least. Franklin and Chet each take a turn to let the group know that they're hard workers, and friendly, and they like all of us, and they don't believe it's their time to leave the game yet. I understand the reason for the arguments, but at this important turning point in the game, I don't think anyone is going to change their mind.
Once again, we all trudge up to vote, and Marcus returns to count them. Five for Chet, five for Franklin.
"Now we move on to the tiebreaker." Several of us lean forward. "You may have seen other tiebreakers in previous seasons of the show, but there's something entirely new this year." He walks over to a pillar, on top of which is a small cloth bag. "Inside this bag are two stones. One of them has a red stripe painted around it. You will both draw a stone from the bag. The player who draws the stone with the red stripe will be eliminated from the game."
Diabolical, a simple game of chance. They may as well just toss a coin. Franklin steps up and pulls out a stone, clenching it tightly in his hand. Chet reaches in and pulls out the other stone. At Marcus' prompt, they open their hands. One stone, white. One stone, white with a red stripe.
The game is now out of balance. If old alliances hold together, one team can make it all the way to the finals.
Marcus slowly snuffs out the offered torch. "I'm sorry Franklin, but the tribe has spoken."
It's another fairly early rise for most of us. The occupancy of our shelter has doubled, which means much less personal space and a lot of new sound and movement. It's strange how accustomed I've become to my teammates -- I found it hard to sleep last night because of the different breathing patterns in the tent.
A lot of people were tossing and turning last night, but nobody seems to want to mention it this morning. Sure, we slept ten to a tent last night, but it was the only night where there will be ten of us. Today we challenge for individual immunity, and tonight someone else will be going home. The game is shifting into an entirely different gear.
The newcomers are eager to check out the waterfall and pool, and we former Miti Matai members are even more eager to try out the soap and shampoo that was brought over from the other camp. We all change into swimsuits, grab our towels and make our way into the jungle. There is light conversation, but there are also a lot of veiled glances and whispering between people. After tonight we can play "getting to know you" some more, but today we all have to decide who to vote for in order to make our former tribe dominant.
Kiki, Ellen and I head straight for the waterfall with the shampoo. As I wade over to the pouring water, I untie and untangle my braids. We soak our heads, then have a wonderful time scratching and soaping our heads.
"I know it's only been three weeks, but it feels like my hair has grown a foot," Kiki complains. Her bright red hair is noticeably longer, probably because it was so short to begin with. Chet and Pete have also had noticeable hair growth, and both are sporting stubbly beards. I don't notice much difference in the length of my hair, because it was already fairly long to begin with. But it feels absolutely fantastic to scrub away all the dirt and salt that has accumulated in my hair. As we wash our hair we can freely talk about the other team, since the noise of the waterfall covers our voices. We discuss the members of the other team, and decide that Franklin and Toby are our best bets; deplete the number of men, and likewise deplete the people who aren't that fun to be around. I'm glad in a way that Malfoy isn't brought up as a choice. Much as I don't want him to win, I also want to find out what he's doing here. Keeping him around another three days gives me more time to find out his motives.
"I don't know how I'm going to untangle this mess." I manage to rinse most of the shampoo out, but my hair is now a clean, shiny mass of knots. I step out from under the waterfall and start running my fingers through my hair repeatedly, trying to turn my hands into rough combs.
"Here, maybe this will help." I look up to find Malfoy right in front of me, holding up a small comb.
"I don't want to know where you got that," I glare at him. How dare he transfigure a comb and risk both our necks?
"Relax, it's clean," he smirks. "It's a part of my luxury item. I brought a grooming kit." Immediately, I feel bad for assuming the worst about Malfoy. I open my mouth to apologize, until I remember that it is indeed Malfoy in front of me. The last thing I'm going to do is apologize to him for expecting the dangerous behavior I've grown to expect from him. I grab the comb from his hand and start gently coaxing the tangles out of my hair.
"So, this explains the clean-shaven face. What else is in there?" I eyeball the small leather bag in Malfoy's hand.
"Besides the comb and my razor, there's a tweezer and a pair of scissors." He pulls out the various implements and shows them to me. I'm amazed that his razor is a straight razor. The last person I knew with one of those was my Grandfather.
"I wouldn't have expected you to have a Mug..." I catch myself, "um, non-traditional razor like that. I hardly ever see people using them." Malfoy folds it up and tucks it back in the leather bag.
"Well, I've always been one to appreciate man's finer inventions. It's not like there's magic involved, just a lot of skill." He drops a wink. "Though it's nothing compared to a pillow."
"How did you manage to convince the producers to let you bring such a handy kit?"
"Let's just say I can be very persuasive when I need to. Just let me know when you're done with the comb." With that, he walks quickly away to go talk to Franklin, leaving me even more confused. Just when I think Malfoy's being as strange as possible, he ups the ante again. What on earth would Malfoy be doing with a Muggle razor? From what I know of him, he finds all things Muggle to be far below him. But then again, here he is playing a Muggle game, surrounded by Muggles.
I decide to give up trying to figure Malfoy out for now and just reconvene with my tribe. On the way over to talk to Kiki, Pete steps up and catches my arm.
"So, how green is the grass on the other side?"
"What?"
He gives me a pained smile. "Looks like you're getting quite chummy with the other team. I wonder if we can still count on you, or if you're going to move over to the other side with your little blond boyfriend."
"Pete, what the hell is your problem?" I pull my arm out of his grasp. "I am loyal to this team. And the blond is not my boyfriend. If anything, you should be encouraging me to find out whatever I can about the other team."
His smile turns into a sneer. "I don't back losers. Play the game my way, or the other team might overhear all the terrible things you're saying about them. Heck, your own team might be shocked to hear the names you've called them."
I start to tell him that I've never said anything cruel about anyone in the game, but then I catch the gleam in his eye. He knows the truth. But he's willing to spread lies around the camp if it looks like I'm too friendly with the other team. I can't let him see any weakness.
I look him straight in the eye. "Get this through your head. I'm a member of Miti Matai. I gave my word to that team. And I don't go back on my word." I shoulder past him and try to find Kiki, but the production team is herding everyone toward the site for today's immunity challenge. There's nothing I can do but follow.
Marcus gives us his best plastic grin when we arrive at the challenge. "I hope you've all started getting used to your new tribe. As you all know, since you're now on the same team, the challenges will be for individual immunity. The person who wins today's challenge cannot be voted out tonight." He takes the immunity idol back from us, and shows us a large, hideous golden ring. "This is the immunity necklace, and will be worn to tribal council by the winner. This is what you're trying to win today, folks." He puts the necklace on a stump and turns to survey the ocean.
"Look out there." He motions toward the water. "You can see there's a blue flag out there. That blue flag is on a platform. Also on that platform are ten smaller blue flags." He turns and points toward the jungle. "Here's a trail through the trees, clearly marked. The trail goes through the jungle and comes back out near the same place." Finally he indicates a platform with a ladder on the side, about ten feet high. "This will be the finish line for today's challenge. When I give you the go, you will all swim out to the platform and retrieve a flag. Then you will swim back here and race through the jungle path. When you come back out, you'll climb up the platform and put your flag at the top. The first person to plant their flag at the top of the platform wins immunity. Any questions?"
We all shake our heads. Marcus beckons us forward, and we line up behind a rope in the sand. I don't know why, but I'm compelled to catch Malfoy's eye. He's already looking at me. He raises an eyebrow in question, and I shake my head to let him know that he's not on the chopping block tonight. He responds by glancing quickly at Chet. I'm not sure I wanted to know who they were planning on voting for, but I'm certainly glad it's not me. We settle in at the start line, and I feel comforted knowing that I don't have to struggle to win immunity today. I don't know why I trust Malfoy to let me know the truth, but I suspect he also wants me to stick around, in order to find out my own motives for playing the game.
Marcus shouts at us to start, and we race into the surf. I'm not the best swimmer in the world, but I can keep up pretty well with the rest of the group. I don't want to overtax myself, but I also don't want to appear as if I don't care to win. I make it to the platform in fourth place, grab my flag and start swimming back awkwardly with the flag in my hand. I fall behind Sheryl, who has her flag gripped tightly in her teeth as she swims. Emerging from the waves, I take off behind her into the jungle. The path is clearly marked with flags, but it's also crisscrossed with fallen logs and hanging vines. I catch up with Sheryl when she trips over an exposed root, but there's no way for us to catch up to the leaders. As we emerge from the trees again, Pete is already climbing to the top of the platform with his flag in hand. He jams the flag into its holder and howls at the sky, holding his arms above his head in victory.
I cheer for him with the rest of the players, although I'm not particularly supportive of his win.
There's just enough time after the challenge for a quick dinner of rice before we have to go to tribal council. As we gather up our torches and pack our bags, we manage to communicate through quick whispers and glances that our target tonight is Franklin. I feel a little ill inside knowing that for our five votes against Franklin, there will be an equivalent five votes against Chet. I briefly consider telling him that he's the other team's target, but I quickly decide that would be a mistake. He'd want to know how I knew in advance, and he'd probably make a scene.
At least tonight's vote won't surprise me at all. That's a good thing, I suppose.
We file into the tribal council area and find ten seats waiting for us. We settle in, and Marcus rattles off his recap of the last few days' events. His questions are all about how we're dealing with the merge. It's strange, I've quickly acclimatized to having these strange people in our camp, but it seems surreal to have new faces here at the tribal council. Malfoy gets hit with one of Marcus' probing questions.
"Draco, do you think there are still old tribal lines, or are you all one big team now? And do you think the votes will reflect that?"
"Well, I know that I'm already getting to know the other tribe, and they're all a bunch of great people. It will be a shame if any of them leaves tonight. As for tonight's vote, all I know is who I'm voting for. We'll have to wait and see how the chips fall." Marcus smiles and nods, because of course he's watched the footage and knows that we are a tribe divided, right down the middle.
"Just a reminder, those of you who remain after tonight's vote will all remain here on the island until the end of the game. The remaining nine of you will make up a jury of seven and the final two. Now, it's time to vote." One by one we file up. After writing down Franklin's name, I tell the camera the only thing I can think to say, "I'm sure you're a nice guy. I hope you've enjoyed the game."
Marcus walks up to get the container of votes. He brings it back down after a few moments and reads out the very unsurprising names. They alternate, one by one, until there are five for Chet and five for Franklin. Now is the moment of pressure; none of us knows the procedure for breaking a tie. In past seasons, it's been based on number of previous votes received and trivia questions about the game, but it may be different this time.
"Interesting," Marcus begins. "In the case of a tie, the first thing we'll do is have another vote. Franklin and Chet, each of you will be given a chance to let the tribe know why they should change their vote." We suspected this part, at least. Franklin and Chet each take a turn to let the group know that they're hard workers, and friendly, and they like all of us, and they don't believe it's their time to leave the game yet. I understand the reason for the arguments, but at this important turning point in the game, I don't think anyone is going to change their mind.
Once again, we all trudge up to vote, and Marcus returns to count them. Five for Chet, five for Franklin.
"Now we move on to the tiebreaker." Several of us lean forward. "You may have seen other tiebreakers in previous seasons of the show, but there's something entirely new this year." He walks over to a pillar, on top of which is a small cloth bag. "Inside this bag are two stones. One of them has a red stripe painted around it. You will both draw a stone from the bag. The player who draws the stone with the red stripe will be eliminated from the game."
Diabolical, a simple game of chance. They may as well just toss a coin. Franklin steps up and pulls out a stone, clenching it tightly in his hand. Chet reaches in and pulls out the other stone. At Marcus' prompt, they open their hands. One stone, white. One stone, white with a red stripe.
The game is now out of balance. If old alliances hold together, one team can make it all the way to the finals.
Marcus slowly snuffs out the offered torch. "I'm sorry Franklin, but the tribe has spoken."