Yarrow Venus- District Three female (17)
Huldra had the advantage in this challenge, coming off a restful night in real beds and full stomachs. I didn't like it. I liked the castle part, but it made me nervous having an advantage. Call me cynical, but it felt like a jinx.
It was another water challenge, we gathered when we reached the beach. Everyone turned to look at Val, who rolled his eyes.
"Excuse you. I'm not super tired now and it's not super sunny. I'm epileptic, not a gremlin," he said. His face changed instantly as the trees in the direction of Ellekoner's camp rustled. He looked over, his face lined with concern, and relaxed when Octavia was the first one out.
"Good morning, contestants. Say hello to the new Ellekoner tribe. Virgo was voted out at tribal council."
I'd barely known her. I remembered she was muscular and I thought I heard she liked animals. I wondered if she would have been happy with that assessment.
"Today's challenge will test your athleticism and teamwork," Isabella started. The water behind her was empty- they hadn't even bothered with a curtain- but there were two platforms on either side of her, each with a slingshot and a basket of baseball-sized foam balls. Beside the platforms were a row of smaller baskets. It wasn't hard to guess what the challenge probably was.
"Each tribe will take turns launching calls from their slingshot," Isabella continued. "The other contestants will stand in the shallows. As each ball lands, contestants will attempt to catch the balls in their baskets. Any contestant may catch either tribe's ball and score a point. Contestants may wrestle over the balls, but a point is scored when the ball hits the bottom of a basket. The first tribe to seven points wins immunity and reward."
Isabella waved an arm over the ground at her feet. "You may have noticed there's no prize here. That's because this round's prize is back at camp. The winning tribe will return home to find a crew constructing a traditional turf shelter. Its sturdy walls and thatched roof will be a big step up from what you have now."
That is worth playing for. Around me, the other Tributes broke into cheers. I wasn't going to let myself get excited yet, though. It didn't mean anything unless we won.
Lana Mason- District Six female (17)
It just had to be randomly selected who went first. I tugged at the slingshot bands, trying to feel how much I would have to pull back. I never was good at sports. I put a ball in place and gave it a try.
Plloppp.
The ball smacked wetly at the very edge of the water, so shallow a bunch of sand flew up. Everyone had to run for it, since they were out in the waist-deep water. Leo happened to have been in the shallowest water of the group, so he scooped it up and dropped it into his basket.
"Leo scores the first point for Huldra!"
Oops.
Kallik- District Two female (18)
Maybe it would be like a harpoon. Nah, I wasn't kidding myself. Harpoon skills were not ball slingshot skills.
Everyone jockeyed for position as the ball sailed through the air. Dorian, who was among the tallest of us, reached his basket up. Yarrow smacked it sideways, but he managed to snag it on the tilt.
"That's one point Huldra, one point Ellekoner!"
Trydan Briod- District Five male (17)
There was a weird consensus about Ellekoner as Enzo loaded his ball. Just before he shot, they all started hustling farther into the ocean. I wasn't sure why, but surely they knew what was up, so I followed, along with some of my teammates.
Enzo yanked the slingshot back as far as it could go.
"Fire in the hole!"
The ball sailed out past all of us to the left. I guessed it was only Enzo's unfamiliarity with the slingshot that it didn't go even farther. It smacked into the water amidst a throng of Ellekoners. It was closest to Persi, who scooped it into her basket.
"Ellekoner scores its second point! Huldra still at one."
Octavia Jacobs- District Two female (18)
It was dreadfully undignified, squatting behind a slingshot and trying to aim. It was made even worse when my shot went wildly sideways and right at Kallik. Things were improved when Kallik took everyone's attention off me with the quacklike noise she made when Dorian body-slammed her and they both went under.
"Dorian with an expert block! Now it's a skirmish. Leo reaches for the ball, only to be dunked by Alara. Cactus, with another point for Ellekoner!"
Shep Howard- District Ten male (17)
Trydan was looking right at me. If there was anyone who would have been studying the slingshot and mapping out its trajectories, it was Trydan. I put my faith in him and stood still as he took his shot. The ball came right at me, only off by a foot or so. I caught it in my basket just by leaning over.
"Trydan with a perfect shot to Shep, scoring Huldra's second point! Ellekoner at three!"
Leo Fabrizio- District Six male (18)
Good aim did not run in the Vella family. Val's shot went so far left that we all had to rush for it. I was one of the closest, but Alara was closer.
No no no no no! I grabbed her foot as she launched forward on her stomach. She yelped, her splashing arms spraying up water, as I yanked her backwards.
"Leo with an assist, clearing the way for Yarrow!"
Dorian belly-flopped as Yarrow reached, making just enough wave that the ball was pushed out of her reach. As Alara shoved past me, having broken free, I had to smile at the offended look Yarrow shot Dorian.
Val grabbed the ball. "Ha!"
Lana snatched it from his hand like a pecking bird. He was so surprised he didn't react quickly enough to prevent her from scoring.
"It's in the basket! That's four points for Ellekoner, two for Huldra!"
Dorian Sargasso- District Four male (18)
Anyone else would have had fun with the slingshot, but all I could think of was how much more useful I was in the water. I wasn't the only four on Ellekoner, though.
I shot long and far, my ball going far out into the deeper water. It went just like I knew it would. Alara shot out like an arrow. She scooped up the ball before anyone else had swum halfway there.
"Fifth point for Ellekoner! Two more and they win!"
Val Vella- District Two male (18)
I had to give Yarrow credit. Her shot landed right in the center of us. It was just we were morons and had clustered right up with Ellekoner, so the ball landed in the center of all of us.
"Shep grabs the ball right out of the air! Alara covering his basket with her arms! Yarrow pulling at Alara as Cactus grabs the ball! It's a tug-of-war! Val belly-flopping onto both of their arms to knock it loose. They're all looking for- Leo grabs it! He shoves it into his basket as Val guards him! That's three points for Huldra, five for Ellekoner, seven to win.
Alara Banks- District Four female (17)
Maybe it was cheating. Really it was just using our strengths, if you asked me. I did the same thing as Dorian and launched my ball into deep water. Shep tried to smack it out of the air, but it went above his fingers and out past everyone. Dorian swam out and got it as the others were still behind.
"Sixth point for Ellekoner! One more to win!"
Persi Caraway- District Eleven female (14)
Shep's ball went straight at Enzo. If he just made the catch-
Val snaked up an arm and smacked the ball sideways. It hit Kallik in the chest, its course so erratic she fumbled for it but didn't get a grip. It splashed into the water near me, but before I could grab it, Trydan shoved my arm away. Enzo and Shep dove for it at the same instant, both halfway underwater. They wrestled for a second until Shep did a crocodile roll and came up with the ball.
"Shep keeps Huldra in the game! That's four for Huldra, six for Ellekoner, seven to win!"
Enzo Charmont- District Twelve male (18)
Cactus and Shep both jumped for the ball. They collided and fell sideways as the ball fell crookedly to the water. In an instant there was a blur of Tributes in the churning water. Alara, Yarrow, Val and Persi all jockeyed against each other, the ball changing hands in between them. Persi and Yarrow managed to get a hold of it and started tugging it back and forth. Yarrow shoved Persi back until her arms were extended, but Persi kept her grip. A funnel of water splashed up as Cactus belly-flopped in between them, his basket underneath him. He came up with his arm inside his upside-down basket, water pouring out of it.
"It's on the bottom!" He yelled. I laughed as he turned the basket sideways, revealing the ball he held against the bottom.
"It is on the bottom! Ellekoner wins immunity and reward!"
Another classic Survivor challenge that's going to end in paralysis one of these days. Luckily these kids are pretty nice overall and weren't trying to kill each other, though they did want to win. I've just now realized I forgot to have an Ellekoner sit out and now it would be hard to go back and change the names without definitely making a mistake somewhere, so just pretend you didn't see that. I just happened to decide Ellekoner would win and that wasn't a factor.
Huldras, make sure to get your votes in! Your votes have a ton of value since I don't think Huldra has ever had every member vote, so you have a lot of power! The merge is coming soon so don't miss a chance to have a big impact on who makes it!