Kallik's interview, unedited: Having enough food has really made so much difference. We have so much more energy now and we fight a lot less. I can see how we're healthier. Leo's hair was actually starting to fall out, but now it's glossy again.

Dorian's interview: I cut my finger chopping wood a few days ago. It's swollen but not like really swollen, just a little pink. It doesn't hurt much so I think it won't get infected. The first aid people sprayed it with antiseptic.

Dorian's edited interview: I cut my finger chopping wood a few days ago. It hurts a lot and it's swollen. The first aid people think it's infected.

Val Vella- District Two male (18)

Some tribal councils, we all knew who was going home. Not this time. The merge has been a big enough change, but these last few days the alliances had shifted as well. It was evident by the lack of casual chatting on the way to the council by those who knew their alliances had them covered. Losing Persi and Cactus had left a vacuum for their alliance and an opportunity for their otherwise targets. We all milled around before hesitantly sitting, afraid of sending a message by who we sat near.

"Welcome back, Havfrue," Isabella welcomed us, if anything about a tribal council could be welcome. She addressed Cactus and Lana. "And how was the reward?"

"Awesome!" Lana beamed.

"Yeah, pretty awesome," Cactus agreed.

"My family has a horse," Shep contributed.

"Lucky," Lana said.

As quickly as we'd all latched on to the break provided by horse discussion, Isabella moved us along. "And it must be nice being safe this week," she said to Cactus.

He nodded. "Yeah, pretty much every time I've thought it was going to be me. But not this week!"

"Who here is nervous?" Isabella asked us. Everyone glanced around, thinking the same thing but afraid to admit it. Isabella's question ended up sorting us into the honest ones (Leo, Kallik, Yarrow, Lana and Dorian) who raised their hands and the cowardly liars (the rest of us) who didn't.

"It's been a long time without any idols showing up. Any idea who might have one?" Isabella probed.

"I think the common consensus is someone has one," Alara said. "I have some guesses but nothing worth putting out there yet."

"I think it's Cactus since he's smart. I bet he could find an idol," Leo conjectured.

Cactus drew himself even further sideways on the fnd of the bench. "Lots of us are smart! Maybe Shep found it. He's smart."

"Appreciate the compliment. Not me, though," Shep said. The joke put a little crack in the tension that has been building. Someone on the bench had power that, this late in the game, put everyone else on edge.

"On that note, let's move to the voting portion of the night," Isabella said.

It wasn't a hard vote for me. I had no beef with the person I was voting for. I actually thought they were pretty fun. But the game was the game and whether or not you wanted an alliance, whatever you voted out you in with one. I wrote the name on my slip of paper and looked down at it with something like regret. If it was up to me we'd just all be allowed to stay here and keep hanging out.

"Maybe we'll get a question answered now," Isabella said after we'd all voted. "If anyone here has a hidden immunity idol they'd like to play, now would be the time."

The question went unanswered. If someone had one, they were feeling safe.

Isabella reached into the urn. "The first vote- Enzo."

Enzo mad a clear "bruh" gesture with one hand palm-up.

"Val."

My first thought was that Isabella was calling me. Before her lips formed the next word I'd figured it out and felt that same old chill. Nothing to worry about. Anyone could get a stray vote.

"Enzo. That's one vote Val, two votes Enzo."

"Val. That's two votes Val, two votes Enzo."

I glanced at Octavia. She had her stoic face on. I wondered for an instant if she'd voted for me. We'd discussed things like that and I'd told her I wouldn't be mad if she had to. No use going down with the ship.

"Enzo. That's three votes Enzo, two votes Val."

Enzo screwed up his mouth to one side.

"Val. We are tied again."

This might be it. This far I'd been shielded by my arrogance and knowledge of alliance targets, but now it was real. For the first time, I found myself thinking of a hovercraft back to Two. The party might be just about over.

"Val. That's four votes Val, three votes Enzo, four votes left."

Just watch it be a three-way tie with some third person, I tried to joke.

"Enzo. Tied again."

"Enzo. That's five votes Enzo, four votes Val, two votes left."

Isabella flipped around another slip. "Dorian. That's five votes Enzo, four votes Val, one vote Dorian, one vote left. If this vote is for anyone but Val, Enzo will be eliminated."

She read the final slip, far more slowly than she had to. She flipped it around and my gaze looked for either a V or and E. The round incompleteness of a C put my heart at rest.

"Fourteenth eliminated and second member of the jury: Enzo."

I tried to peek at Enzo without being obvious. It sucked feeling such glum empathy for an otherwise fun guy who must have been through the same fear I'd felt over the last few minutes. But he just slapped his thighs and stood.

"Guess karma was coming for Gunnar eventually," he said. He twisted his torch as he grabbed it, setting off a spray of sparks in the coals below. "Lay it on me," he said as Isabella lowered the snuffer. "Stay cool, dudes and dudettes," he said, throwing up dual victory Vs. then he was gone.

Enzo's final interview: I mean, what a ride. I got to eat a frog shake. Most people never get to do that, though I guess there's nothing stopping them. Frogs are free. No regrets, though. Okay, a few regrets, but I wouldn't change this experience for the world.

Fourteenth eliminated: Enzo Charmont-

In the voters' defense, a lot of them expressed regret that this came right after Persi. I also felt bad, since my mishap with her altered the balance of power and it was very close this week, but on the somewhat bright side, one of the Val votes was random, so it wasn't quite as close really. Cactus and Dorian's votes were bogus, btw, so they won't be reacting to them. I just wanted more suspense.

Anyway, back to Enzo. We all loved Enzo. He was smarter than he seemed but was fine being the class clown. In hindsight, maybe I should have paired him more with Dorian, who's also laid-back and fun-loving. Enzo made it to the jury at least, so now he's class clowning at Ponderosa and thinking of good jury questions.

IIMMUNITY IDOL CLUE 3:

1998: A Bug's Life and Antz

2005-6: The Wild and Madagascar

2000: ?