Val Vella- District Two male (18)

This was going to be a good challenge. I didn't need to hear Isabella say anything. I knew it was going to be a good challenge because I could see what was behind her. There were barrels and barrels. There was only one reason anyone could need that many grapes. This was a challenge about one of the many loves of my life.

"Good morning, mermaids," Isabella teased as we streamed in. Alara crossed over to her and handed over her necklace, wincing a little as it left her neck. "Any guess what today's challenge is about?"

"BOOZE," Enzo boomed.

Isabella made a snobby face. "Hardly so lowbrow. Today's challenge is about that most sacred of fruits, the grape- a proud export of Denmark for centuries. And actually we're not fermenting them, so not really wine, but you get the theme."

Not fermenting them? Unless I should happen to smuggle some back to camp in my pockets… It was a worthy sacrifice to ruin my pants for such nectar.

"Today's challenge will test your creativity and speed," Isabella continued. "When the challenge begins, each Tribute will begin removing grapes from their barrel and squeezing the juice from them. Using the provided basins, Tributes will pour the collected juice into the narrow tube you see beside each barrel. Each tube contains a hollow ball. As the level of juice rises, the ball will rise along with it. Contestants are permitted to reach inside the grab their ball. First contestant to retrieve their ball wins immunity and reward."

Isabella clicked her tongue. Nothing happened immediately, but it was clearly a signal.

"Today's reward is a tour of our island's coast, exquisitely designed to be an exact copy of the real thing in Denmark. Sights include dazzling white cliffs, misty ocean views, and so much more. But it's a long walk, so-"

Just as Isabella paused dramatically, Lana gasped even more dramatically at the back of our group. I turned with the others and saw two horses clopping their way toward Isabella. They looked this way and that as Tributes cooed and greeted them. Lana bounced on her heels, her eyes sparkling, as the one black horse and one brown horse passed by just a fe feet out of reach. I'd done a lot of things, but I'd never actually ridden a horse. We could have afforded it, but it just didnt happen to be something we'd done.

"So you and your one guest will be traveling like the Vikings of old- on horseback," Isabella finished. "And of course refreshments will be provided for both you and your steeds. Ready?"

I stood beside my barrel looking at the provided tools. The tube, which was set into the ground for stability and was too narrow for a hand but enough for a slender finger, was about hip-high on me. I guessed it held a gallon, since people tended to like round amounts. To help me squeeze I had a large wooden basin with a spigot on one side, a narrow-necked bottle under the spigot, and a sheet of cheesecloth. We were also allowed to use anything we could find in the woods at the edge of the clearing. It was just a matter of how much time we wanted to take.

This one was going to be cinematic. I gave the Gamemakers credit. It was a race, which was always exciting, but more than that, it was utterly unpredictable. I couldn't think of any skills or experiences that would give someone an advantage in a challenge like this. Maybe the Elevens, but they were both gone. No, today would be a total surprise.

"The challenge starts… now!"

Enzo Charmont- District Twelve male (18)

One would think the best way was the way people had done for thousands of years. I dumped a bunch of grapes in my basin, which was about the size of a small washtub, and hopped in. It felt a little ickier than I thought- kind of like a bunch of bugs were popping under my shoes. The thought sprang into my mind of someone drinking my shoe-mashed grape juice and I made a face. I guess if they fermented it… that gets rid of germs, right? But no one was going to drink it. It was just for the challenge. I hoped they poured it out on the grass so it could be fertilizer.

"Val, off to a quick start! A lot of juice coming from his spigot."

I needed to get moving. I really had no idea what motion was best for stomping grapes. Bigger is better, right? Stomping would get juice. Jumping like a demented jackrabbit would get more.

Yarrow Venus- District Three female (18)

I did not like being sticky. I didn't think anyone really liked being sticky. It must have been even worse for Cactus, with his fussiness, but he wasn't showing it. He was positively going to town on his grapes. His ball was a lot higher than mine, which was about one-fifth full. But it wasn't over yet.

"Cactus, with a commanding lead! He can't afford to slow down, though. Shep's juice is rising fast, and Dorian is mounting a comeback."

I peeked around to see the others' strategies. Kallik seemed to be just stomping and doing her best to be fast, not seeing many innovative options. Dorian's comeback was facilitated by the large rock he'd dashed into the woods to get and was now throwing down repeatedly along with his stomps. I didn't know if it was worth the risk for me to leave my grapes to try to find another rock. Lana had committed so hard she was sitting in her tub and pushing her grapes with her legs directly into the spigot to get all the juice.

"Dorian surpasses Shep! He's just behind Cactus. Both have their tubes filled three-quarters of the way."

Leo Fabrizio- District Six male (18)

It didn't look like this one was in the cards for me. I was giving it my all, but I just wasn't the fastest. I was going to give it my all right until the last moment, but I could see the writing on the wall. I went ahead and indulged in a little rubber-necking.

This had to be one of the funniest challenges yet. Everyone was covered in red like a paint truck had exploded. Most of us had grapes clinging to our clothes and some had them in their hair. Enzo had embraced his inner seal and was belly-flopping and flipping over into his grapes for maximum surface area. And I'd never seen Cactus move that fast. He must really love horses. I noticed he was chewing just before he leaned over his bottle and spit.

"Cactus, with an innovative strategy," Isabella narrated. It was in addition to the cheesecloth he was wringing in his hands, and of course the stomps providing the main bulk of his juice.

"Hey, some of that's spit!" Val complained. Cactus stuck a purple tongue out at him.

Cactus Cleo- District Seven male (18)

I couldn't afford to rest on my allies anymore. I was going it alone and had no one on my side but myself. It didn't take a genius to know I wasn't anyone's favorite. They weren't my favorites either, to be honest.

Gotta go faster gotta go harder don't let them catch up. I was breathing heavily with the exertion of basically ballroom dancing, kneading bread, and competitive eating all at once. Leo was going to be mortified if I choked on a grape and died.

"Less than an inch left for Cactus! This could be it!"

Dorian was the closest to me. I could see his juice was just low enough in the tube for me to tell I was ahead. Less than an inch, I'd guess. One inch between victory or nothing to show but stained clothes and clumpy hair. I watched the rising juice creep up into the tube. If I reached too early, my fingers wouldn't hit the ball and I would have wasted time. Too late and Dorian might take the plunge.

I gave one last big stomp and shot my shot. The ball skittered away from my straining fingers, then stilled between my pointer finger and the wall of the tube. As Dorian reached into his tube for a last-ditch effort, I pinched the ball between my fingers and yanked it up.

"Cactus wins immunity and reward!"

The moment it was over, all I could think about was that I was very, very sticky.

"Can I take a shower before we go?" I asked before Isabella could go on.

"If you don't take a shower I'm pretty sure you'll get glued to your horse," Isabella answered. "But before that, who are you choosing to bring along?"

If it was all the same, I'd bring no one- not even to be mean, but just because I preferred to do almost everything alone. But that wouldn't have been a good look, even if it was an option. So I looked over the assembled contestants and tried to think of someone easy to get along with. Lana was a little ahead of the others, I noticed. She was looking miserably at the horses. Most of the others were a little behind her. The ones in the back made surreptitious gestures at the ones in front as Yarrow put up her palm at me to ask me to wait. As each one in front noticed, they melted backwards. Once everyone was in line, they all pointed to Lana.

Fine. It'll get me friends. At least she's pretty quiet.

"I'll take Lana."

This challenge didn't really have any ways to have advantages, so I didn't calculate a system and just used an RNG. Cactus was the first generated and exploded out of the gate with a 98. With that high a roll (I did roll the rest just in case, but he won lol) I thought it was fitting to have him lead right from the start. I planned the prize before the winner and no matter who won, they were gonna take Lana, because come on, she just loves horses so much. I was kind of hoping it would be Cactus just because he would be the funniest to pick Lana, so fate shone upon today.

Note: there will be one more chapter before the vote

Big news: I'm finally hiding the individual idol! I was procrastinating since I didn't want to make up a clue. The first idol finder still has their idol, but now there's a second one.

First clue: J.C. (and I'll give you a freebie and that's not Jesus Christ)