This one took so long to get to I just wrote it quick so we can get back to the fun stuff like challenges.

Yarrow Venus- District Three female (17)

One would think with how edgy and standoffish Taylor was that she'd be a better liar. I wasn't sure what she was lying about, but she was clearly lying about something. She was nibbling at her nails as we walked to tribal council- I really hoped she'd washed her hands first. And then she started drumming her fingers on her legs as soon as we sat down. My best guess was she was in an alliance and she'd betrayed it. I'd seen her nervous about getting eliminated before and it hadn't looked like this.

"So, another tribal council. Surprised?" Isabella started us off.

"Nooooo," came our sad little chorus.

"We're not this dumb in real life," Val protested. "At least I'm not. Not roasting anyone else, I just don't know them in normal life so I can't say."

"I do really well at home," Trydan couldn't resist defending himself.

"Most of my people don't graduate high school," Kallik said. "Not really our fault, but…" she didn't continue pit loud. The powers that be weren't really ready for an outline of the still-continuing government neglect of the Natives they hadn't managed to completely destroy.

"What's it like knowing the merge is probably coming soon? Does that affect your votes?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah, I mean, that's really going to change everything," Taylor said. "We'll have to make new alliances with Ellekoner. There's a lot of opportunities there."

"Why should you make it?" Isabella was addressing all of us. "Why should your tribe keep you?"

Trydan and Shep both started to say something and stopped so as not to interrupt the other.

"Go ahead," Trydan said before Shep managed to.

"Right now I'm not in any alliances," Shep said. "I don't have any enemies and I also don't have any friends. I've been voting pretty much just on gut feelings, but if there's someone you want to send home, you're going to want some allies."

Trydan took his turn. "There haven't been many puzzle challenges and I'm really good at those. Keep me around and you won't have to vote anyone off because we'll win until the merge."

I listened as the others started to pipe up. Me, I wasn't sure I wanted to say anything. I seemed to have been slipping under the vote radar so far. I didn't want to attract attention and just end up getting myself on the chopping block.

"And who deserves to go home?" Isabella asked.

There was a general recoiling. Val put his hands up palms-out in a nope gesture. Taylor shook her head. Leo's shrug seemed legitimate, which was weirdly wholesome.

"Sorry, but whoever says anything is gonna get super targeted," Trydan said.

"No one has anything to say? No one?" Isabella fished.

Taylor sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. She wrote a number in the dirt and covered it with her foot. "Everyone pick a number from one to six."

After we all called our numbers, she lifted her foot. "Shep it is," she said. "Not to stir up trouble, but really we should vote for Shep, because…" she paused to think of something believable but not real. "He's really bossy and I'm so tired of him thinking he knows best in challenges and getting us all beaten."

"Every time we've won, it's been with my ideas," Shep pretended to argue.

"Val's the one with an ally waiting for him." I tread on dangerous ground, toeing the line between fake arguing and just slipping in there a legitimate argument in the hopes it would stick in people's heads. From what I could tell, this was going to be another very close vote. A little nudge might save my life.

"Are you ready to cast your votes?" Isabella asked. When no one had an immunity idol, voting commenced as normal.

"Once the votes are read, the decision is final." Isabella unfolded the first vote. "Taylor."

Taylor flipped a hand up. "I got dropped in mud for you all!"

"Yarrow." I looked up, thinking Isabella was calling me, then felt my stomach clench at the realization. "That's one vote Taylor, one vote Yarrow."

"Trydan. That's one vote Taylor, one vote Yarrow, one vote Trydan, four votes left."

It's never the first vote. So who was it, me or Trydan?

"Trydan. That's one vote Taylor, one vote Yarrow, two votes Trydan, three votes left."

I tried to read Isabella's lips as she breathed in before the next vote. "Taylor. That's two votes Taylor, two votes Trydan, one vote Yarrow, two votes left.".

Two votes. Still enough for it to be me. Meanwhile Trydan was sitting perfectly still and Taylor had her arms crossed, ready to pretend she didn't care anyway.

"Taylor." My breath came in a rush. "That's three votes Taylor, two votes Trydan, one vote Yarrow, one vote left."

Isabella held the final paper facing her. "Tenth person eliminated from Survivor: Taylor." She turned the vote around to reveal Shep's name.

"Dicks," Taylor said. She kept her eyes on Isabella as her torch was snuffed. She disappeared into the woods without another word.

Taylor's final interview: Whatever. I got a lot of money and it's fine. I'm going to go home and use a real toilet.

Tenth eliminated: Taylor Treadle

RIP Taylor, who died of having zero votes against her. Here's the real story. After all this time waiting, the votes I got were as follows:

One for Trydan

One for Trydan but the voter disclosed it was randomly generated

One for Yarrow

One for the majority

One submitter didn't vote because they're writing an OC too and didn't want to unbalance it

One submitter didn't vote but I know they're active

Taylor, who out of universe didn't vote because it was too close so it would have unbalanced things (so a bogus vote for Shep just because I needed a name)

So, at first glance it would seem Trydan was out, since he had two votes and then majority vote. BUT, really only one of those was deliberately aimed at Trydan. The majority vote was basically a skip, since it would go into an already existing majority and affect nothing. So he was about to get eliminated with two votes, one of which was random. I felt bad whacking him off really only one vote, so I bit the bullet and scuttled Taylor. She wasn't going to win anyway, though that would have been the ultimate Chaos Reigns, so I'll let the readers have fun and let Taylor ride into the sunset. RIP to our goth girl who was honestly pretty nice and wasn't very gothy at all.