Sole Survivor

Day Thirty-Seven

It's a late morning for all four of us; nobody seems to want to get up too early. The sun is already bright in the sky by the time we start our morning chores, and almost immediately we're told there's a message waiting in our mailbox.

All four of us trudge through the underbrush to get the mail. In front of our usual mailbox is a large crate. Malfoy kneels in front of it and pries off the top, revealing several items buried in ice cubes – champagne, orange juice, tons of fresh fruit, eggs and more. We're all practically giddy as we carry the crate back to camp.

As we come out of the trees, I can see Marcus sitting by our fire with a smile on his face. He stands as we approach, and we put down the crate near our shelter.

"Congratulations are in order for all of you," he says. "You've made the final four, and each have a one-in-four chance of becoming the sole survivor and winning the million."

We're all smiling broadly at him, even though we know these facts already. For some reason, it feels more real hearing him say the words. "Eat up, because you have an immunity challenge today, and a visit to Tribal Council tonight." He shakes everyone's hand, then walks off through the trees.

Kiki takes the champagne and orange juice, and goes to work mixing mimosas for everyone. After a brief discussion of preferences, Ellen goes to work making scrambled eggs in our beat-up frying pan. Malfoy starts peeling and sectioning oranges, and I cut the leafy tops off of strawberries. Soon we each have a plate loaded with fruit and eggs, and a cup full of bubbly mimosa.

"A toast," proposes Kiki. "To the final four. If I can't win it, I'm glad I like the rest of you. But just so you know, I do plan on winning." We all laugh and drink.

Everyone's much more cheerful without Pete around. Even Ellen seems at ease with the rest of us, as though she's resigned herself to finishing fourth. It's all smiles and laughs over breakfast, even though shortly we're going to have to compete against each other. I try not to drink too much, but just one glass of mimosa has me feeling pleasantly buzzed. Damn champagne.

It's not too long before we're notified of new mail. Kiki and I go to get it, while Ellen cleans up after breakfast and Malfoy stocks up on firewood. She opens up the mailbox and pulls out a rolled-up piece of parchment. We walk back to camp, where the other two are waiting for us.

Kiki unrolls the parchment and reads. "Thirty-seven days, and twelve players behind. Best to keep your wits and memory in mind. Four of you remain, three of you will fall. Numbers are essential if you want to win it all."

We know the challenge is related to numbers and memory, but there's nothing much more to go on. There are also no extra materials to practice with. We still have a short while before we need to leave for the challenge, so Malfoy and I go for a short stroll along the waterline.

Malfoy checks behind him to make sure the camp is far enough away that nobody could overhear us. "Well, I don't think Ellen's given up yet."

"Why do you say that?"

"When the two of you went to get the message, she clammed right up. No more smiles, no more friendliness. At least not for me." He stops and looks out to the horizon. "I'm sure she's still going to try to get something together with Kiki."

"I'll talk to Kiki, then." I step into the water, wiggling my toes in the wet sand. "But I think, especially after last night, our alliance is strong. Kiki knows that going with Ellen now would just result in a tie."

Malfoy takes my hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze, and we head back to camp to get ready for the challenge.

O - O - O - O - O

We're lined up on our starting mat, with four towers made of bamboo and wooden planks in front of us. They're about ten or twelve feet high, just tall enough that I can't see what's at the top. At the base of each tower is a chalkboard on a stand, with a grid drawn on it.

Marcus comes around the base of the end tower and strides toward us, showing his usual bright smile. "I hope you all had a good breakfast!" We murmur our assent. Marcus calls me forward and takes back the immunity necklace. I rejoin the others, and he explains the challenge.

"You see in front of you, four towers. At the top of each tower is a six-square by six-square grid, each square with a number between one and ninety-nine written on it. In front of the towers you'll each have a chalkboard with the same six-by-six grid on it. In this challenge, you must climb to the top of your tower to see your numbered grid, then climb down and write the numbers on your chalkboard exactly as they appear on the grid above.

"You can go up to the top of your tower as many times as you need to. When you think you have your grid filled in correctly, let me know and I'll check it. If you do not have the grid filled out correctly, you'll have to immediately go back up to the top of your tower to check the grid up there before you're allowed to make any more changes down here."

He looks at all of us, then smiles even wider. "Oh, and all of your grids are different, so there's no use in looking at anything your neighbor has done. First one to finish their grid, of course, wins immunity at tonight's Tribal Council. We'll randomly draw to match you up with a tower."

We all draw stones out of a bag; mine is red. I walk over to the base of the tower highlighted in red and stand in front of my chalkboard grid. Thirty-six squares to fill in. Good thing I've always had an excellent memory. My tower is second from the left; Ellen is on the end tower to my left, Kiki is next to me on the right, and Malfoy is at the far right end at the green tower. Part of me wants to take the fact that I got red and he got green as some kind of sign.

"Survivors, ready?" We all nod our assent. Any buzz I might have felt from the champagne is gone, replaced by tension.

"GO!" We all scramble to our towers and start to climb. The bamboo poles are just far enough apart to make it a difficult climb, and I can only hope my strength will hold out. There's just not much I could do with magic to win this one.

I make it to the top of my tower, and see that Malfoy's already at the top of his, head down over the grid of numbers. I look down at my own grid, first taking it all in to search for any obvious patterns. There are only a couple of single-digit numbers – the rest are all double-digits, with no discernable pattern to the placement. I'll just have to take it one row at a time.

I run my finger along the top row, trying to quickly commit the numbers to memory. Seventeen, eighty-one, twenty-three, four, seventy-nine, eleven. All right, there's a one-two-three-four in the middle. I was seventeen entering my final year. Seventeen, eight, one-two-three-four, seven, then nine-eleven. All double-digits, except the four stands alone. Like the cheese in that old nursery rhyme. I repeat the pattern in my head and make my way back down to the bottom of my tower. I grab the chalk and look at my empty grid.

Seventeen. Then there was a one-two-three-four. Wait, no, there's a number between the seventeen and the one-two-three-four. But what? I write in the seventeen, then the one in the right side of the next square, leaving the left side blank. Next is twenty-three, then the four stands alone. Something, then nine-eleven. Seven? I write in the eleven in the last square, then write seventy-nine and underline the seven, a number I'm not 100 certain about. There's also the blank spot after the seventeen; a double-digit number ending with a one.

Back up to the top of the tower, and I see that the seven is correct, and the number I've forgotten was an eight. Maybe I should take these in groups of five. With the missing eight, my top row will be complete, so I move on to the next row and look at the first five numbers. Malfoy's up at the top of his tower, as is Kiki. I don't know if this is still their first trip up, or their second, or perhaps their third.

I trace my finger along the second line of numbers, once more trying to combine them into a pattern. Back down I go, muttering the numbers out loud to myself. This seems to work better than just thinking them, and I'm able to put down my numbers in what I think is the correct order.

The minutes pass by in what is probably the quietest challenge ever. I can hear Kiki repeating her own numbers to herself, and have to block her out to avoid my own patterns from being corrupted. After five trips up the tower, my arms start to feel like jelly, but I keep climbing up and down. Just as I reach the ground muttering my last five numbers, Ellen calls out Marcus's name.

"Hold up, everybody, stay right where you are." He walks over to Ellen's grid. I look over to see every square filled in, and I feel a chill crawl up my spine. I'm so close, I could reach out and touch my grid. Just five more numbers. As Marcus compares his note card with Ellen's grid, I look over at Kiki's and Malfoy's chalkboards. Each is only missing a few numbers on the bottom row. Kiki's up at the top of her tower, watching Marcus like a hawk. Malfoy has one hand on his tower, ready to go up again if Ellen is wrong.

Marcus steps back from Ellen's grid. "This isn't correct, go back up."

Malfoy immediately starts climbing. I step up to my grid and realize that I've forgotten all but the first number in my pattern. I write the number in and silently curse myself as I climb back up the side of the tower. I look back at the top grid and rebuild the pattern in my mind. Down on the sand, Malfoy shouts for Marcus.

Once again, we're told to stop everything and stay where we are while Marcus compares Malfoy's grid to the one in his hand. Now I'm at the top looking down.

"Incorrect. Go back up." Malfoy looks stunned for a moment, then leaps forward to his tower. I go back to my grid and re-check my numbers. Whispering the pattern to myself, I climb back down. I start to fill in the last spots on my grid. With one number left to fill in, Kiki shouts out for Marcus and I have to stop, my chalk in my hand and just the action of writing the number forty-two standing between me and immunity.

I grip the side of my chalkboard with my free hand, holding my chalk at the ready position with the other, waiting for Marcus to finish his leisurely perusal of Kiki's chalkboard.

He steps back and raises both hands in the air. "Correct! Kiki wins immunity!"

I drop my chalk to the board and turn to watch as Marcus puts the immunity necklace around Kiki's neck. I'm suddenly exhausted, but I can manage a smile for her. She has a wide grin on her face, but looks pretty tired too.

Marcus sends us back to camp, with the promise of seeing us later at Tribal Council.

O - O - O - O - O

I try to keep Kiki within sight the rest of the afternoon, but of course it's impossible. There are chores to be done, water and food to be gathered. By the time I bring water back to camp, both Ellen and Kiki are nowhere to be seen. It feels like they're gone for hours, but they walk together out of the trees after probably only fifteen or twenty minutes. Ellen smiles at me, and Kiki comes straight toward me.

"Have time for a bit of a chat?" She winks at me.

I stand up and brush the sand off my rear. "Always."

We stroll down the beach, and Kiki tells me about the planning. "This won't surprise you in the least; Ellen wants to put together an all-woman alliance and vote out Draco tonight."

I let out a little snort of a laugh. "Of course she does."

We wade out into the shallows, the ocean water lapping at our knees. "And of course you know I have to consider it, like all other possibilities." She smiles at me. "You're lovely and all, but I'm still trying to figure out a way to win this game."

"Well, you certainly won't be going home tonight," I quip. "But seriously, you know how I'm voting tonight. You know how Draco is voting tonight. If you and Ellen both vote for him, or switch to voting for me, you'll be causing a tie vote."

I take a breath, then continue. "I'll tell you why you should stick with me and Draco, and it all comes down to one word: Pete. Ellen was ready, willing and able to stick with Pete and bring him along to the final three with you. That gets her a black mark in my book."

She looks down at her feet, then back at me. "Mine too. But even knowing that, I still have to consider all of my options. And if I stand a better chance if I cause a tie, then random chance puts two out of the three of you together against me in the final three."

I look up at the sun, then back at camp. Malfoy and Ellen are back there, with a sizeable distance between them. "I think it's nearly time to go to Tribal Council."

"Yeah, we should go back and get ready." We wade back through the shallows to camp.

O - O - O - O - O

For the first time, the jury outnumbers the players. Five people sit across from us at this Tribal Council, most of them gazing at us with neutral expressions. The exception, of course, is Pete. One would think a good shower, shave, hot meal and change of clothes would snap him out of his rage, but I can tell as soon as he sits down that he's still full of his fury. It's almost creepier seeing him without the scruffy beard from the previous month; with his sharp cheekbones showing again and his dark hair combed back, I remember that I once thought of him as a good-looking guy. But his eyes, gleaming in the firelight, take away any handsome qualities he might have. His gaze is pure hatred, and he aims it at Malfoy and me equally.

Marcus throws us some of his standard questions about the previous day, but we don't have anything that exciting to tell him. Since we were last at Tribal Council only 24 hours ago, we don't have the usual three days' worth of drama stockpiled. Kiki expresses her happiness at winning immunity, commenting that she really felt she needed it.

Marcus turns to me. "Do you think Kiki needed the immunity, Hermione? Was she a target?"

"Well," I say, giving Marcus my most charming smile, "I think at this point we're all having to look out for ourselves. But I don't think Kiki would have had much to worry about." I glance at the jury and see Pete leaning forward in his seat as far as he can, his elbows resting on his knees, trying to stare a hole through my head. In fact I think . . . yes, yes he is. His lips are moving as he's saying something silently to himself, and I believe I can pick out a few choice swear words.

We're sent off to the voting area one by one, and each cast our vote. Kiki returns quickly from hers, with apparently no hard decision to be made at name-writing time. With only four of us voting, it's only a few minutes before Marcus wanders over to tally up the votes.

As he returns, Malfoy reaches over and takes my hand. I squeeze gently, then let my hand rest comfortably in his.

"The first vote is for," Marcus pulls a paper out and turns it toward us, "Ellen." Malfoy's handwriting.

He reaches in and pulls out another sheet, and says the name as he shows us the vote. "Draco." Ellen's vote. Two to go.

The next vote is pulled, with my handwriting. "Ellen. That's two votes for Ellen, one vote for Draco."

Marcus pulls the last vote out and reads it slowly to himself. He looks up at us.

"The thirteenth person eliminated, and sixth member of our jury." He turns the vote around. "Ellen."

She stands quickly, a resigned look on her face, and presents her torch to Marcus. As he's going through the motions of snuffing her torch, I look over at the jury and almost jump in my seat. Pete's half standing now, his eyes darting between me and Malfoy. I'd swear, if he didn't have to plow through the front row of jury members, he'd leap right over and attack us. Since we erased his memory of attacking me before, he still has all of his anger and rage bottled up.

One thing's for sure: I'm glad he's over there, and we're over here.