Page 124 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“I—” I gape at Chase. “What?”

Chase spreads his arms and tosses back his head. “I’m ready! Push me in!”

It would be so easy to throw Chase into the lava. But once again, Daniel’s right. Trying to win is a fool’s errand. Dawn Taylor can change the rules as much as she wants. The producers can manipulate how I feel and what I do. The editors can give me the hero edit or the villainedit.

I’ve been trying to play their game this whole time—say the right words, wear the right clothes, kiss at the right cue. But I have no power here. And what’s worse, someone on this island wants me dead. I’m completely at the mercy of not only the show, but also Anton’s killer. And I’m not Michelle Yeoh. I’m not some action hero who can keep getting lucky and surviving. I’m just Alice Chen.

The only way to win is to stop trying to win at all. Leah said that the volcano lets out into an underground tunnel, which is where the crew lockers are. Lex is missing, there’s a murderer among us, and time is running out. I know what I have to do.

I take a deep breath and jump.

—

For a split second, it feels like jumping into a pool on a hot summer’s day. But then the fake lava swallows me, and it’s surprisingly cold and sort of gloppy. Some of the lava gets in my mouth. It tastes like feet.

I flail for a moment in the lava, but then as I sink, I make contact with a solid, smooth surface, and then I’m speeding down an enclosed slide. I’m going fast, too fast, and suddenly I’m afraid that I’m about to die a very, very stupid death.

Then I crash out of the slide and land in a huge pool of more lava. I’m sinking like a rock, and I struggle to swim upward, still holding my breath. But the pool is deep, and my clothes are dragging me down, making it hard to move through the lava. I’m running out of air, and my movements grow more frantic as I try to break the surface. No PA comes to pull me out.

I’m going to die. I’m going to die on a reality TV show, covered in bright red goo, inside a fake volcano.

Oh, god, Cindy’s going to have to explain to my mom what happened to me. I’ll never talk to them again, or find out the truth behind Anton’s murder. Another thought bubbles up: I’ll never get to see Daniel again. I’ll never get to kiss him, or tease him, or find out what lifemight be like with him.

I’m going to die, and my last thought is of Daniel? This really is hell.

Then a strong hand grabs mine, and I hold on for dear life as I’m hauled out of the pool. I wipe the glop from my eyes and look up at—

“Daniel?” I whisper, shocked.

He hasn’t let go of me, and when I say his name, he pulls me into a tight hug. I’m covered in fake lava, but he doesn’t seem to care. I feel him take a deep breath, and then he releases me.

“I couldn’t leave you,” Daniel says, cupping my face. “When I found out that you weren’t getting eliminated with me, I snuck away to come back for you. But you were already climbing the volcano. I was too late.”

“No, you were just in time,” I tell him. I’m not sure it was an accident that no one was around to get me out of the pool. Daniel saved my life. Again. “You saved me.”

He laughs. “Validation from Alice Chen. I can die happy now,” he says, pulling me close.

“As sweet as this is, can we move things along?” says another voice, one I’m immensely relieved to hear.

“Lex!” I say, peering around Daniel. Lex limps up to us, waving to me before promptly sitting down on the floor. Their hair is a mess, and their shirt is ripped. “Oh, god, what happened to you?”

“You explain your part first,” Lex says, gesturing to Daniel. They lean back against the wall again, looking exhausted.

Daniel says, “Alice, when I realized that you weren’t leaving set with me, I escaped from production and ran back. By the time I got to the villa, everyone had left. But then I overheard Freya talking to Bryan on her walkie-talkie. He was telling her to make sure you went into the volcano, no matter what.”

“He was trying to kill me,” I say, realization dawning on me. “Leah said one of the PAs would be here to help me out of the pool, but there was no one there.”

Daniel nods, his mouth a grim line. “I booked it to the volcano, andwhen I saw one of the crew members open up a trapdoor to go underground, I put two and two together. I went into the tunnels, hoping to head Bryan off…but I was too late. I found a PA knocked out in the hallway.”

“The PA who was supposed to come get me,” I surmise.

“I think so,” Daniel agrees. “And then I ran into Bryan and Lex. They were fighting.”

All along, I’d thought Bryan was just a dick, but it turns out he was dangerous, too.

“Bryan caught me on my way to the crew lockers. He knew I was supposed to be with the crew,” Lex says, their voice raspy. “Next thing I know, he’s shoving me against the wall like he’s some high school bully. Sprained my ankle trying to get away. Then Superman over here swoops in and kicks the crap out of Bryan.”

“He got away,” Daniel says. “But I didn’t want to risk going after him, especially with you possibly going into the volcano. I’m glad I made it just in time.”

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