Page 20 of Surviving Love
I met Harold’s gaze, and he rolled his eyes. Whether even he could be trusted to stay loyal to Jack or not, who knew? But at least he was smart enough to know better than to immediately get rid of the one guy who could feed us and keep us sheltered from the rough weather.
“On a more pleasant note, the rice is ready,” Julia announced happily.
Thoughts of voting Jack off seemed to vanish as we helped ourselves to a serving of rice. I was still hungry by the time I licked my leaf dish clean, but we needed to ration the rice so it would last us the full thirty days. Luciano grumbled about wanting more, but what was left was Jack’s portion, and none of us was brave enough to steal it.
Eventually Jack returned with a bunch of bamboo, and while he ate, I gathered more palm fronds for the roof. Luciano helped as promised, and when Jack was done eating, he joined us. Once we had most of the obvious weak spots of the shelter handled, Jack instructed Harold on how to build a small shelter to protect the fire. Hopefully, by taking that extra step, our fire wouldn’t get snuffed out when it rained again. Because it would rain again.
At noon, we made our way to our very first challenge. Adrenaline buzzed through me as we came into a clearing on the edge of the beach. The other tribe was there too, looking as thrashed as I felt. We smiled at each other politely, but no one made any effort to talk to anyone from the other tribes.
Shep was already there, wearing a big sun hat and sunglasses. Within minutes of arriving on the beach, the clouds gathered and it began to rain. It was an awful feeling to be damp twenty-four-seven, but there was nothing we could do about it. Unless it stopped raining, this was life for the foreseeable future.
Once the sun popped out again, Holly had us form a circle so she could explain the challenge to us. “Shep will explain the rules to you on camera, but I’ll just run over it too so no one is confused.”
Staring out at the ocean, Lydia asked, “So this a swimming challenge?”
Nodding, Holly pointed to the two mats on the beach. “It is. Each team will have six people who swim and four who work on the puzzle.”
Lydia grimaced. “I should probably work on the puzzle. I’m not a super-strong swimmer.”
“I’ll swim,” Jack said.
I hesitated but then said, “Me too.” It was important that I proved my usefulness to the tribe.
“Oh, uh… I’ll do the puzzle.” Harold held up his hand. “Swimming and me, we don’t mix.”
“I’ll swim,” Sherry said brightly.
Holly nodded. “You guys can figure all that out in a minute. I’ll finish explaining the game.”
“Sure.” Luciano nodded. “Sorry. I guess we’re overeager.”
Really? Cuz, you haven’t volunteered for anything yet.
Holly gave a polite smile. “When Shep gives the order, one member of the team will swim out to the platform that matches the color of your tribe. When you get there, you’ll climb up and jump off the deck, doing your best to smash one of the hanging plaques. Inside each plaque is a key. You’ll need to grab the key and swim back as fast as possible.”
“Sounds simple enough.” Rob pursed his lips.
“Once you get all six keys, the puzzle people will use them to open those chests over there.” She pointed to a row of small wooden treasure chests. “Inside are the puzzle pieces. The first tribe to solve the puzzle wins a food reward and immunity from the Fire Council tonight.”
Rubbing his stomach, Rob said, “I’m hungry. I guess we need to win this one, guys.”
“What a novel idea,” Jack muttered, meeting my gaze.
My lips twitched, and I was once again astonished that, of all the people on my tribe, Jack was the one I seemed to be getting along with the best.
Would wonders never cease?
Chapter Five
Apparently, Jack was part dolphin. The way he cut through the water was intimidating. I was glad he was on my team because there was no way I could compete with him. His wet muscles glistened as he ran up the beach toward us, carrying the key he’d retrieved.
The minute his foot hit the mat, it was my turn. I prayed I didn’t embarrass myself as I raced down the beach and dove into the water. I swam as fast as I could, slowed a bit by the bat I had with me. When I reached the platform, I climbed up the slippery steps to the top of the podium.
The warm tropical breeze felt nice on my wet skin as I eyed the hanging plaque I needed to smash. I sucked in a breath and leapt from the top of the wooden structure, swinging the bat as hard as I could. It made contact with a satisfying crack, and the ceramic plaque shattered, dropping the key into the clear ocean.
I splashed into the water and grabbed the key from the white, sandy bottom. As I came to the surface, sputtering for air, I noticed the other tribe’s contestant was still struggling to get up on their platform. Hoping to keep our lead, I started for the beach with long, even strokes.
Breathing like a racehorse, I stumbled onto the mat, and Julia took off. One by one, our tribe jumped into the ocean and retrieved the keys needed. Eventually we had all the keys, and it was time for the puzzle people to shine. Harold and Lydia worked with two other tribe members to solve the puzzle. The rest of us shouted encouragement, feeling helpless.
