Page 100 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“Wait a sec. What do you mean, underground?” Daniel asks.

“Oh, right, they never gave you the tour.” Lex points at the floor. “There’s a whole underground bunker beneath the beach. Part of what makes this island a prime location for filming reality shows.”

“Why can’t the crew get into his locker?” I ask.

“They didn’t find the key in his stuff. But they’re not searching very hard. Filming is still our top priority.”

“We need that key,” I say. “I bet Seth and Mikayla weren’t the only people Anton was blackmailing. If we can get into Anton’s locker, we might find more information on who might have wanted him dead.”

Lex laughs. “Or we just find his stash of edibles.”

“It’s worth a try,” I insist. Searching the labyrinth was a dead end, but the crew locker sounds like a promising lead.

“I’ll ask around,” Lex says. “But you two need to lay low. Act like you’re just happy to still be on this show.”

“Wearestill happy to be on the show,” I say.

“Uh-huh,” Lex says. “Try to act normal. Daniel, if anyone starts getting suspicious of you two, just do that thing where you look completely in love with Alice. You’re good at that.”

“Roger roger,” Daniel says, his ears reddening. I wonder if it’s that embarrassing for him to pretend to like me. I resolve to make it up to him if—no, when—we get out of here.

—

Around noon the next day, the remaining couples—me and Daniel, Selena and Chase, Trevor and Mikayla, and Ava and Noah—are led out of the villa. Seth is nowhere in sight. I wonder if he’s been packed off to wherever the losers are or sent off in a small dinghy to fend for himself in the ocean.

We’re escorted past the tree line and into the jungle. Even though we can still catch glimpses of the ocean from here, we’re not on the beach anymore. We pick our way past fallen branches and knobby roots erupting from the earth before ending up in a clearing. At the center of the clearing is a series of mud pits dug into the dirt. Narrow beams just barely wider than my thigh are suspended above the mud pits, like a tic-tac-toe grid. Oh, god, we’re going to have to balance on those and fight above the mud pits, aren’t we?

“At least it’s not slime this time,” Daniel murmurs to me.

We’re kept waiting for what feels like an eternity in the stifling humidity, until even the producers start looking worried and whip out their phones to tap out messages. My fingers twitch, just itching to get my hands on one of those phones. I would give anything to hear my mom scold me about not wearing enough layers, or to tell Cindy about everything that’s happened on the island. Being completely cut off from the rest of the world has only made this strange experience even stranger.

Just when Trevor asks if he can go piss in the trees, Dawn Taylor arrives, clutching a latte in one hand and a bottle of aspirin in the other. She’s wearing a white leather romper with a backless top for this challenge, which seems like a bad idea given the mud pits. The moment the cameras train on her, she hands off the latte and aspirin to Leah and turns to the rest of us.

“Well, well, well,” Dawn Taylor says, eyeing us. There’s something about her delivery today that’s a little bit stiffer, like she’s reading from a script instead of gossiping over brunch with her friends. “It looks like we’re down to four couples now, and babes, it’s only going to get harder from here. Today, we’ll be putting your relationship to the test withanother fiery challenge. I hope you’re ready forviolence!”

Bryan points at us, cueing us to cheer like we’re super pumped for violence. It’s clear who’s picking up the slack now that Seth and Anton are gone.

“For this particular circle of hell, you’ll be fighting for your lives in a mud pit, gladiator style. The only rule is no head shots. Other than that, anything goes in my battle royale from hell. The first couple to fall is eliminated. The last person or couple standing winsfive thousand dollars cash! Now, get ready for the fight of your lives!”

We’re each given a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads, as well as a huge wooden staff that has padded orbs at each end. Our safety equipment comes in cardboard boxes with one of our names hastily scrawled on each one. Everything is gleaming and new, and exactly my size. I pull the kneepads and elbow pads on, then reach for the helmet.

I’m half thinking about the challenge, so I don’t see it until the helmet is in my hands. A snake slithers out from between the helmet straps, its yellow and black bands clearly a bright warning sign against predators and prey alike.

“Shit!” I chuck the helmet. When it lands with a soft thump in the grass, the snake slithers out and makes its way toward the tree line.

Leah comes sprinting over. “What’s going on?”

“There was a snake,” I say, pointing into the jungle. By the time Leah glances over, the snake is long gone.

“I don’t see it,” she says.

“I saw it,” Daniel cuts in, his voice serious. “I want to know what the hell a snake was doing in the safety gear.”

“I’m sure it was an accident, but I’ll let production know,” Leah says briskly, and then she’s off, barking orders at a PA.

Daniel retrieves my helmet and turns it over and over in his hands, checking it everywhere.

“All clear,” he says. His fingers brush mine as he hands the helmet back to me.

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