Part 3
It's not a good feeling being the first team to face tribal council. Am I worried about being voted off? Of course I am. Everyone here is. I am the oldest member of my tribe, and while I'm in decent shape, I know I can't keep up in the physical challenges the way Dusty or Reid can. However, I have Kim on my side and Reid and I share an occupation. Hopefully that, and the fact Lucy has already annoyed everyone here, will be enough to keep me safe.
~Bob, Doctor
Exile Island is everything Luke imagined it to be. It is desolate, small, and lonely. It's barely an island, Luke thinks as he steps off the motorboat behind Reid. The whole island is barely bigger than Snyder Pond back home. There are few bushes and even less trees scattered around. The beach is littered with tattered palm fronds and dead seaweed washed ashore from the ever changing tide. Luke has to peel some off his shoe after he wades from the shallow water onto the sand. A tiny hermit crab scuttles away from the fallen plant. Similar to the tribe flag back at the camp, Exile Island hosts its own symbol. It's eerily reminiscent of a pirate banner, with ivory white crossbones atop a black background. 'Exile Island' scrolls across the flag in gold letters. Luke hates it at the first glance.
The boat motors away, leaving Luke alone with Reid and the cameramen. Since he's supposed to pretend they aren't there, he trucks after Reid as the man heads straight for that awful flag. Despite being a few inches taller than the other man, Reid's got legs like a giraffe so Luke jogs to keep up. Reid sets his small bag, filled with what Luke assumes are spare clothes, down next to the flag and picks up the container hanging from a notch in the side of the pole.
Luke sets his own bag down and waits as Reid pops off the top of the container then flips it upside down. A small roll of parchment slides out. Luke leans closer; the fabric of his shirt brushes again Reid's shoulder. The man twists his head and throws Luke a wicked scowl.
"Do you mind?" he snaps and Luke takes a step back. The other man turns his attention back to the piece of paper.
"Read it aloud," Luke says.
Reid is silent for a moment, obviously reading, before he says, "Let's get this straight, Blondie. I am not here to be your partner in crime. We both know what this little piece of paper leads to, and I am in no way going to help you find it. I am not going to read it aloud."
Luke is completely taken aback. How dare he talk to me like that! What an asshole! Anger rushes through his veins. "Screw you," Luke grumbles. "I'm here whether you like it or not. I'm going to read the clue, whether you like it or not. We are here, together, for the night, whether you like it or not." Luke clenches his teeth. "And, my name is Luke, not Blondie."
Surprise flutters across Reid's face. For a fraction of a second Luke swears the man is going to smile, but then his mouth morphs into a scowl. "So, Mr. Hero's got some balls. Surprise, surprise," Reid says. Then he holds up his hands and adds, "Excuse me, Luke."
"Mr. Hero?" Luke asks, completely baffled. What the hell is he talking about?
"Every time I look at you, you're being the hero. Pulling your raft like an Olympic gold medallist. Going back for your fallen- or sluggish- teammates." He pauses, like he's waiting for Luke to catch up with what he's saying. "You know, it might make people like you at first, but it's going to put a target on your back."
Luke really doesn't understand what Reid's going on about. "I'm not doing anything to make people like me. I'm just being a good human being. Maybe you've heard of the concept."
Reid shakes his head, and if it wasn't considered undignified, Luke swears the man would have snorted. "Being nice in this game doesn't get you anywhere."
Luke crosses his arm. "Well, you'll play your way, and I'll play mine." And we'll see who makes it to the final three.
"Fine." Reid drops the piece of paper back into the container.
"Fine," Luke echoes, then snatches the tube from Reid's hand. He watches as the other man stalks off towards the other end of the island. He's such a jerk. Even if I don't read the clue, it's not like I can't see him search for the damn idol. I'll know if he finds it or not. Luke rolls his eyes and reaches inside the tube. The paper tickles his fingers and he pulls it out.
I can read this and go on a wild treasure hunt, Luke thinks, or I could wait here, get a fire going and relax while Jerkface tires himself out. The urge to sink into the sand and rest is overwhelming. It's past midday, and the sun has been scorching hot all morning. Luke's arms and legs ache, fiercely, from the challenge, and his stomach is already grumbling with hunger. The skin of his face is tight from sunburn, and his whole upper body is stinging from not wearing his shirt at the challenge. It's cooler without my t-shirt, but the sun and my skin don't get along. Luke wishes for some aloe or lotion Hell, I'd even settle for some of Ethan's old baby powder. The thought of his younger brother sends a wave of homesickness through Luke. Faith would love this place. All the tropical plants and endless beaches; she'd be out here in her skimpy bikini in a second, Luke thinks with a smile on his face. But Dad would hate it. He'd miss the farm immediately.
Off in the distance, Reid suddenly stops and bends down. The action is like a switch, and curiosity destroys everything else. Luke surges forward, bag still on the ground, fingers clutched tightly around the container. He forces himself not to sprint, and instead, he jogs over. He zeros in on the other man and sees him digging furiously under a small bush. Hmm, Luke thinks, it kind of looks like a heart.
Reid is digging intensely, and Luke isn't sure if the man has noticed him yet. He's about to open his mouth and comment when Reid says, "Are you going to help or not?"
Unable to think of anything to say, Luke kneels down next to his competition and puts his hands to work. Sweat drips into Luke's eyes. He desperately wants to wipe it away, but with his hands dirty and his arm equally sweaty, there's nothing to be done except to dig some more. It only takes a minute before the edge of something soft is poking through the ground. Reid sees it and hurriedly digs around the leathered cloth.
The material is wrapped around something small and lumpy. Excitement twirls through him, and Luke thinks, It can't be that easy. It's not. Reid yanks off the twine holding the fabric closed. The idol's not inside. Instead, there's a small stone tablet with another clue.
"Damn it!" Reid snarls.
"You didn't expect it to be that easy, did you?" Luke says. His tone might have been sarcastic. Might have been. Reid gives him a look that screams, 'Shut the hell up.' Then the man turns his attention back to the stone message.
Luke gives him a few seconds to read it before asking, "Well? What does it say?"
Reid looks up, eyes narrow and mouth scornful. "I see your short term memory is nonexistent. Maybe you should have that looked at." Apparently finished reading, Reid stands and shoves the tablet towards Luke. "In fact, after I win, I'll generously give you a once over."
Luke ignores the part about winning. "You're a doctor?"
"A neurosurgeon."
"So, a doctor."
"No. I am a neurosurgeon, and not just any neurosurgeon. I am the best damn neurosurgeon in the United States, possibly the world."
Luke almost laughs. Man, I don't think I've ever met anyone as pompous as you. "The whole world?"
"Look me up if you don't believe it." Reid says with a shrug, like he doesn't care whether Luke believes him or not.
"Yeah, I'll just pull out my iphone and get right on that."
Reid ducks his head, but not before Luke can see the smile.
"Why Mr. Neurosurgeon, are you laughing?"
Reid looks up, eyes wide as if he's been caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. He sculpts his mouth into a frown and replies, "I don't laugh. Ever." The words are serious and Reid looks like he means them, but Luke detects a faint sparkle in the other man's eyes. He decides right there and then that Reid, the Neurosurgeon, isn't the big bad wolf he projects.
Luke nods toward the tablet. "So, what's it say?"
Reid lets out a loud, put-upon sigh. "It's directions to the idol," he says. "Or to another clue."
"Well, I guess we won't know until we look," Luke replies.
Reid stands and wipes his hands against his shorts. "Fine. We'll look together. But if we find the idol, it's mine."
Well, that not fair, Luke thinks. "Why is it automatically yours?"
"Because it is. End of story."
Luke's mouth drops open in shock. He doesn't know whether to be mad or laugh. He settles with saying, "You're like a five year old."
Reid shrugs and twists around, scanning the horizon. "Yeah, well, I'm about to be a five year old with an immunity idol." That said, the man sets off, leaving Luke to follow. Luke looks longingly back to where he'd dropped his bag and thinks again of how nice an evening lounging at the beach sounds. Then he looks over to his Exile Island companion and realizes the man has slowed down.
Luke smiles and jogs to catch up.
###
The Riau tribe rules! We've won the first two challenges, and we're going to keep winning until every Bangka member is gone. I mean, I knew this game would be fun, but I didn't realize it would be awesome! Ali and Maddie are both smoking hot babes, and Noah and Luke are awesome dudes. Molly can be a bit annoying; she's very upfront about everything, but she's one tough gal. Brian's a little creepy, but he's a hard worker. And Lucinda man, she could rule the world.
~Casey, Janitor
The sun is dipping below the horizon, Luke's legs are aching angrily, and he's hungry enough to eat a horse. "We're not to going to find it. Let's turn back." Reid shoots him a look of death over his shoulder. They had followed the stone tablet to two more clues and no immunity idol. The search has taken them all over Exile Island, then across the shallow channel between this island the one closest to it on the west.
"No. It has to be around here somewhere."
Luke lets out a grumpy sigh and runs his hand through his hair. "You know what? I give up. You can continue to look. I'm going to go back to my bag, start a fire, and find something to eat."
Reid scowls, like Luke's just admitted to murdering puppies. "Fine. Do what you want."
Maybe it's the hunger, or the slight heat exhaustions, or the after effects of the long day. Or maybe it's just the fact that Reid's an asshole. Whatever the cause, it blows the top off Luke's head. "You," he shouts pointing to Reid. "You are a son of bitch. I've been out here all afternoon keeping you company, helping you look for that damned idol." He steps closer and thrusts his finger into Reid's chest. "Which you've so thoughtfully claimed as your own, despite the effort that I've put into to finding this thing." The neurosurgeon's mouth opens, but Luke doesn't let him speak. "You have no right to call me a lazy or a coward or anything else."
Reid's eyebrows narrow and give Luke a hard stare.
"What? The smart neurosurgeon has nothing to say?"
"I think you're standing on the idol."
"What?" The words penetrate Luke's brain. "What?" He looks down, and sure enough, by the tip of his sneaker, half hidden by the rotted stump of a tree, is the immunity idol. It's small, no bigger than a dollar bill, and just as ugly as the tribe immunity idol.
"Shit," Luke says and reaches down to grab it. It's carved out of some dark wood and fits neatly in the center of Luke's palm. The thing is humanoid with a chubby body, two raised arms, and folded legs. It also has one head with two faces and sharp looking teeth. A leather looped string pokes through a small hole at the top of the idols head.
A hand closes over his and for one moment, Luke's sure that Reid's going to snatch it straight from his grip. Luke's fingers automatically tighten. Despite his laissez-faire attitude earlier, Luke knows what an immunity idol can do in this game. He doesn't want to let it go.
"Look," Reid says and turns Luke's wrist. There's a small piece of parchment paper tied to the back of the idol. Reid gently eases the statue from Luke's fingers and pulls the paper free. He stares at the idol for a second before placing it back in Luke's hand.
This time Luke doesn't even have to ask. Reid reads aloud. "Congratulations, you've found a hidden immunity idol. Be wise and let it help you get further in this game." Reid unrolls the paper a bit more. "For all your troubles, here's something else that can help you in the game- information. There are two pairs of people that knew each other before the game started."
"What?" Luke asks. He snatches the paper from Reid's hand and reads it himself. His head snaps up to Reid, "It's not you is it?" then mentally slaps himself. Even if he is, the man's not going to admit it.
"No!" Reid defends. "This is nuts."
"It's unfair!" Luke says then wishes he didn't. Now who sounds like a five year old?
"Life's unfair, get over it," Reid snaps back. Luke's not sure if the man's mad at him or at the information. He suspects it's the information.
"What are we going to do?" Luke scans his memory for any scene where the cast members seemed unusually comfortable with each other. He can't think of anything. Maybe they're all on Reid's team.
Reid presses his lips together and stares at the ground. Finally, he looks up. "First we're going to go back to camp and get settled. Then we're going to think of a strategy to find out who knows each other." Luke nods. "And you're going to give me the idol." Reid holds out his hand like Luke's going to just give it away.
When Luke doesn't move Reid drops his hand and says, "Oh come on. We both know you're not in any danger of being voted off soon. Not to mention, I'm much more devious than you, and will put it to better use."
"That just makes me want to hand it right over," Luke shoots back.
"You don't have to be so dramatic."
Luke huffs. "I am not being dramatic."
Reid raises an eyebrow. When Luke does nothing, he sighs and holds out his hands in the universal peace gesture. "Look, I promise I won't use it against you in any way, shape or form. It'll be a thing. Between us."
The man sounds so awkward that Luke can't help but tease, "A thing? Between us? You make it sound like we're dating."
"You know what I mean," Reid retorts snappily.
Luke's stomach chooses that moment to growl. "I'll tell you what. You find me something to eat and I'll give you the idol." It's kind of crazy, but he knows Reid is right. He does need it more than me.
"Deal." Reid says, twists around, and makes his way back to the water.
Damn, I forgot we'll have to swim back, Luke thinks forlornly.
When Reid realizes Luke's not on his heels he stops and turns around. "What are you waiting for? A gilded invitation?"
Luke snorts and slips the idol over his head by the string. He makes his way towards Reid. What I would give for a glass of milk and plate of Grandma Emma's cookies, Luke thinks. And it's only day two. He hears Reid splash into the water and suddenly, he feels better.