All in the Game (3 page)

“Get it! Get it!” cried Lauren.

Konrad did, catching the impressive-size fish with his bare hands.

“That was so quick!” marveled Shannen. “Like watching Gramma's cat reach up and nab the bird who'd made the fatal mistake of flying onto the porch while he was napping there.”

“Except we can eat the fish,” said Lauren. “That bird incident—yuck, it was so gross!”

Ty's lips quirked. He caught Shannen's eye and found her looking at him. Both immediately turned their attention back to Konrad and the fish.

“I think I'll turn off the camera until that fish is officially pronounced dead,” said Ty.

“Feeling queasy, Ty?” taunted Shannen. “You didn't seem to have any qualms filming us drinking snake blood in that over-the-top victory contest a couple weeks ago.”

“The snake blood scene was sexy in a vampire-ish sort of way, to quote a TV critic,” said Ty. “But nobody is going to find strangling a fish sexy in any sort of way.”

“That's disgusting!” scolded Shannen.

Ty wondered if she was referring to him, snake blood or fish strangulation.

“The fish is dead,” announced Konrad.

Ty resumed filming.

“This fish would make a decent-size meal for two people, maybe even three, but we'll only have a few mouthfuls each if we split it six ways,” said Konrad. “So let's not.”

“It's only fair to share it with everybody,” insisted Lauren.

“We could outvote her.” Konrad turned to Shannen. “Two against one not to share.”

“My stomach wants to go along with you, but my better instincts tell me that Lauren is right.” Shannen sighed.

“Better instincts? More like idiotic instincts,” Konrad muttered, then added a few unintelligible growls as they trooped back to shore.

Cortnee was so delighted to see the fish, she squealed with joy and hugged Konrad and the twins in turn.

Rico and Jed tried to look happy but weren't altogether convincing.

“Their smiles are so fake, I'm surprised their faces haven't cracked,” observed Shannen to no one in particular. “They want to be the heroes, but you can't catch anything, lounging around on the beach all day.”

“Told you it was stupid to share,” Konrad needled her.

Ty noticed that Reggie had moved closer to film the group, and he turned off his own camera. “Shannen.” His voice was lower than a whisper, but Shannen heard.

“Don't talk to me,” she warned, her voice even quieter than his.

It was a warning Ty didn't heed. “Meet me tonight. Same time and place as last night.”

“No!” She looked alarmed. “I can't! I…I—” She was truly rattled.

“Be there,” said Ty, and moved away from her.

“Shannen, what's wrong?” Lauren called out to her.

Shannen looked up to see Reggie, a few feet away, filming her.

Lauren was staring at her, confused. “You look—you don't look happy, Shan.”

“Maybe she's jealous because she wasn't the one to catch the fish,” mocked Jed.

“Maybe I'm not happy because I expect you'll try to
grab yourself some glory and insist on cooking the fish yourself,” Shannen countered. “Thereby rendering it inedible.”

Jed took instant umbrage. “I'm a damn good cook. I even contributed a recipe that I invented myself to the
Living off the Land
cookbook.”

“What was it, how to barbecue roadkill?” Konrad snickered. “Step one, you pick it off the side of the road. Step two—”

“It was how to make elk stew,” Jed inserted disdainfully. “And—”

“Whatever,” snapped Cortnee. “Just don't get anywhere near this fish!”

“He's only had a few cooking…mishaps here on the island.” Lauren tried to make peace.

“You mean disasters, not mishaps,” corrected Rico.

“I've never cooked a bad meal,” Jed said huffily. “You're all just a bunch of picky eaters.”

“Jed's already proved that he doesn't know the difference between cooking something or cremating it,” Shannen said flatly. “I vote that he
not
cook the fish.”

“I'm with you, twin,” said Rico.

“Me, too,” said Konrad.

“You've got my vote,” said Cortnee.

 

“Are we seeing cracks in what has previously been a staunch and solid alliance?” Bobby Dixon asked in his smiling, smooth soliloquy, filmed a mile down the beach.

A light breeze ruffled his thick hair and he smoothed it down with his hand, dimpling deeply.

“Tonight, after the victory contest, these six survivors, who have stuck together from the very beginning, will have to vote out one of their own.” His voice took on a note of urgency and suspense. “What shifts of allegiance will occur to form new alliances as we count down to five and
then to the Final Four? Who has what it takes to be
Victorious?
”

 

Later the six contestants gathered around the fire, eating the fish cooked by the twins.

“That was great,” Rico said expansively, patting his washboard stomach. “If the food is as good at that diner your family owns, I'm heading there as soon as we're off this island.”

“Shannen and I have been short-order cooks since we were in junior high,” said Lauren. “Of course, it's much easier at home, because we don't have to catch the food ourselves.”

“Well, no matter what you hear, the food in prison isn't bad,” Konrad interjected. “And you get more of it than one lousy fish split six ways.”

“I'm still hungry,” wailed Cortnee. “Having only a couple bites of fish and a blob of wretched rice is like being on a starvation diet.”

“I cooked the rice and it wasn't wretched, it was fine,” snarled Jed.

“It really wasn't wretched at all,” Lauren hastily agreed.

“Uh-oh, look what's headed our way.” Shannen was the first to spy Bobby Dixon strolling down the beach toward them, wearing his immaculately pressed khaki slacks and matching safari shirt.

“He looks so neat and clean all the time, I can't stand it.” Cortnee groaned. “It's been how long since we had a hot shower? And washing your hair in the ocean is really bad. There's a reason why saltwater shampoo was never invented.”

“Wouldn't it be thrilling to see Slick Bobby look less…dapper?” Shannen flashed a naughty smile. “It might even take my mind off being hungry out here all the time.”

“Yeah, but it'll never happen.” Rico heaved a disgrun
tled sigh. “We'll stay hungry as long as we're on the island, and Bobby will stay clean. You just know he has his clothes cleaned and pressed every day over in the crew's camp. And somehow he never sweats, no matter how hot it is.”

“Makes you wonder if the guy's human,” murmured Shannen. “I've had my doubts. Those dimples of his look like computer animation.”

“I bet Slick B would sweat if we poured fish guts over him,” said Konrad, staring moodily into the bean can holding the fish remains. They'd saved the can from their first days on the island, to use as a container.

“Anybody want to try it and see?” Rico asked eagerly. “Cortnee? Twins?”

Shannen laughed. “You're evil, Rico.”

“Hello, all.” Bobby joined them, dimpling at the camera. “No mail-in-the-tree today. I brought the contest requirements to you in person.”

“Watch out, Bobby. They've hatched this juvenile plan to drench you in fish guts,” Jed called out.

Konrad scowled. “Anybody know what that stoolie is talking about?”

The others shrugged and shook their heads.

“I do know that Jed is a rat.” Cortnee sniffed. “And if he didn't win every contest and get himself immunity, I'd gladly vote him off.”

“You can dream, but it's never going to happen, baby-cakes.” Jed positioned himself so his sculpted body had full camera advantage. “And keep in mind that we're no longer a team anymore. Now it's everyone for himself—or herself, as the case may be.”

“Jed is right,” agreed Bobby. “It's everyone for him-or herself, and the contest today is a rowboat race. All six of you will take turns rowing out to the crew's boat and back.”

He pointed to the large boat anchored about a hundred
yards out in the sea. “The one with the fastest time, of course, wins immunity in the council vote tonight.”

“Have I ever mentioned that I crewed in college?” Jed began his warmup exercises. “And kayaked down the Colorado River when the white water was at its highest and fastest?”

“Kayaks are for sissies,” scoffed Shannen. “Lauren and I rode the white water at its highest and fastest using rubber duck floatees.”

Shannen glanced up to see Tynan and Reggie chuckling behind their cameras. She pretended not to notice them, turning her attention to Rico and Cortnee, who were also laughing at her joke. But when she looked over at her sister, Lauren wasn't even smiling.

“Are you okay, Lauren?” asked Shannen, concerned. Lauren looked so…cross? Shannen almost did a double take. Was Lauren angry about something? But what?

“Sure.” Lauren smiled slightly, shrugging. “I'm fine, Shannen.”

“Hey, Jed, my man, since you're so sure you're going to win, would you mind letting us five losers go before you?” Konrad asked with unusual servility. “You know, to build up the suspense and all?”

“I don't mind going last,” said Jed. “Although I can't guarantee suspense, because the outcome will never be in doubt. I'm going to win.”

“Yeah?” With mercurial speed, Konrad's expression turned to disgust, and he suddenly picked up the can of fish guts and tossed it at Bobby.

But Bobby was on the alert, thanks to Jed, and deftly jumped aside. “That was uncalled for, Konrad!” Bobby was peeved. His clothes, however, remained pristine, as if he'd just picked them up from the dry cleaner's. “You could be disciplined for—”

“Disciplined for a little food-fight fun?” Shannen cut in.
“Where's your sense of humor, Slick B? Anyway, this isn't high school, and you can't ‘discipline' anybody.”

 

The crew snickered. Bobby Dixon's off-camera behavior as a prima donna had earned him no friends among them.

“That chick has a righteous attitude,” said Heidi. “She doesn't put up with anything from anybody.”

“She never has,” murmured Ty wryly. “Since she arrived on the island,” he was quick to add.

 

Ty and two others remained on the beach filming, while cameramen Reggie and Paul were stationed on the crew boat, to film the contestants racing to it. Bobby Dixon was also on the boat with a large stopwatch to record the times. The production assistants were scattered in both locations.

Cortnee went first and threw herself down on the sand on her return. “I'm so tired I could faint. That awful rowing took more energy than playing the lead in my senior-class musical.” She wiped away tears with the back of her hand.

Rico went next, then Lauren and then Shannen.

“Well, that was hellacious,” Shannen groaned, sitting down between Lauren and Rico after her own long row. “My arms feel like they're going to fall off, my hands are getting blistered and I'm exhausted. Not to mention hungrier than ever.”

She looked into the camera and met Tynan's eyes. “I'm going to bed right after the council meeting, no matter what.”

Slowly Ty turned his head from one side to the other. He mouthed the word “tonight” and watched her jaw drop. Clearly, she was not expecting such obvious interaction with him.

But nobody noticed except her. The others were ignoring the camera and cameraman to watch Konrad push the rowboat into the water.

“I said I'm going straight to bed tonight,” Shannen re
peated, giving Ty her most forbidding grimace. “Nowhere but my own bed.”

“You girls should've done what Konrad is doing,” said Jed, who was standing nearby, watching Konrad in the rowboat heading out to sea. “You should've saved your strength and taken your own sweet time, like him. He knows I'm going to win, and since every other score is irrelevant, why wear yourself out?”

He swaggered off toward the water to wait for Konrad to return with the rowboat.

“I hate Jed,” Cortnee said fiercely, watching him walk off. “He thinks he's so hot. Did you know he slept with both Keri and Lucy? They each tried to get him to switch his alliance from us to them, and he let them think he would. I wanted to tell you all, but I didn't think the time was right. Till now.”

“He slept with both of them?” Lauren gasped. “Cortnee, are you sure?”

“I heard them, I heard everything.” Cortnee shuddered. “They were right outside the tent on my side and I'm a light sleeper. I wake up at the slightest noise.”

“Do you hear people get up during the night to, um, well—you know?” Shannen was not her usual frank self.

“Uh-huh. I heard you or your sister get up last night to—” Cortnee laughed. “No need to be shy, we're among friends—to use the facilities.”

“I can't believe Jed would use Keri and Lucy for sex,” said Lauren. “If he did, he would've switched his allegiance from us to them, and he didn't. He was loyal and he stuck with us all this time. You…you must've misinterpreted what you were hearing, Cortnee.”

“I know exactly what I heard,” insisted Cortnee. “Believe me, I didn't misinterpret a thing.”

“The man is slime.” Shannen scowled.

“And the reason why Jed didn't switch from us to them is because we five were the stronger choice,” Rico pointed
out. “Loyalty had nothing to do with it. Too bad we're stuck with him now. He'll keep winning every contest for immunity, and we'll get kicked off, one by one.”

“We made our version of a deal with the devil. Now it's time to pay.” Shannen looked over at Ty. “Gramma always says, ‘If you let the devil into the cart, you'll have to drive him home.' And she wasn't talking about hitchhiking in biblical times.”