Chapter Text
A tan, brunette, tall man wearing a dark orange button up with silver buttons and darker orange pockets along with brown shorts that went to his knees and dark gray sneakers stood next to a young woman with long, dark red hair and soft purple eyes, her light skin contrasting with her dark blue eyeshadow and shirt that matched the man's. She wore skinny jeans that went down to the middle of her shins along with light gray sneakers and pink heart shaped sunglasses. The duo wore matching golden bracelets, the woman's bracelet having a diamond shaped ruby in the middle that matched her red nail polish and lipstick while the man had an emerald that matched his green nail polish, likely meant to match with the woman more than they already did. The camera panned up to show a wooden sign that read, “Camp Tipiskaw” before the woman's voice, filled with sass and elegance, started to fill the silence.
“Hello there viewers and welcome to Disventure Camp! We're your hosts, Emily Campbell and Trevor McGregor and here, you'll be meeting fourteen campers who will be competing for the next few weeks! They'll be split into two teams and compete against the other team and eventually each other to win a million dollars! Every episode, the teams will compete in challenges to earn immunity and survive another day. The team that loses the challenge will be heading to the elimination ceremony where they must vote off a fellow contestant.”
Her co-host took her hand before he started speaking, smiling as he did, his face matching his very upbeat and friendly tone.
“That was… very descriptive, Ems. But anyways, the last person standing will win it all! Who will be able to survive the cold nights, the lack of provided food, and each other? We'll see here on…Disventure Camp!”
- - -
The camera moved through the camp, going up a hill and dropping into the water before it showed Ara and Ren swimming, Ren's bangs stuck to their face as Ara tackled them in the water, making them laugh as the camera panned away. The next shot showed James and Jake at their campsite, James running one finger down Jake's arm before lifting his gloved hand to his lips and kissing it gently, making Jake turn red as the camera zoomed out to show Alec and Rosa arguing in front of a very tired looking Marissa, who was playing with her hat before Rosa stormed off a half second later. The camera switched to the purple team, where Benji was awkwardly attempting to talk to Jade, who was staring silently at him before Connor sat with them and ruffled Benji's hair. Riya was watching them from a log and smiling happily before Dunia walked by and patted her head, making the actress giggled before Fiore ran by, being chased by Tom because she had stolen his walkie talkie, which everyone else seemed to not notice.
The camera changed again to show everyone around the campfire, Ara and Ren in the center. Ara leaned close with a smile before Ren gently placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed them back slightly, smiling slightly awkwardly as the camera zoomed out to show Trevor and Emily holding hands with their other hand up in their air, Jensen dragging cages seen in the bottom right corner.
- - -
The scene now showed a purple bus on the road, shaking as it looked unstable before the view changed to the cameras inside of the bus, revealing the fourteen contestants. A little girl with long, dark brown hair tied up into a ponytail and wearing a light purple sweater with a darker purple heart on the chest and a purple pink skirt was humming happily, kicking her feet to show her light blue sneakers and bright pink cat socks. She was sitting next to a young, androgynous person with tan skin and short, spiky, dark brown hair that rested against the tops of their shoulder blades with their bangs hanging over their eyes. They wore a half pink and half blue shirt with suspenders that were attached to their jeans that hung to mid shin, showing their dark gray flats. They glanced at the girl and revealed they could apparently see through their bangs by waving at the girl before speaking, revealing their voice was bright and slightly high pitched with a Chilean accent and playful tone.
“Hi there, kiddo. I'm Ren. What's your name?”
The little girl giggled slightly and looked up, her big brown eyes sparkling with delight before she responded, revealing her voice to be quiet and raspy with a subtle but slightly noticeable Italian accent.
“Hiii Mr. Ren! I'm Fiore!”
The girl, now identified as Fiore, was smiling brightly as she smiled up at Ren, making them smile slightly at her. She blepped and tilted her head after closing her eyes, almost resembling a happy kitten. The older person laughed quietly and patted her head gently, making the girl squeal slightly in delight before Ren seemed to process her age, worrying them immediately.
“A child shouldn't be on the show. How old are you?”
The girl's eyes immediately filled with annoyance for a split second before she returned to her cute look and held up her hands, showing six fingers.
“I'm six! My Mamma and Pappa sent me here since we're apparently late on bills! They won't tell me what bills are but apparently sending me here is gonna help them pay them off!”
She started pulling on her ponytail with a worried look as Ren gently cupped the girl’s cheeks and squeezed them slightly, making her look surprised before she squeaked because she was pulled into a hug, Ren gently running their hand through her hair in a gentle and comforting gesture. The girl looked confused but slowly relaxed as Ren spoke.
“Don't worry, kid. You'll be safe if we end up on the same team. I won't let you get hurt.”
Fiore looked even more confused before Ren just continued holding her but stopped stroking her hair and instead just rested their hand on her head. The girl looked even more confused by the affection but annoyance filled her eyes as she grumpily relaxed, Ren mistaking her relaxation as trusting them.
They quietly said, “Fiore, you're safe here. Your parents can't reach you now.”
Fiore raised her eyebrow before she mumbled under her breath, “Yeah right. I'm never safe.”
- - -
Near the back of the bus, two older men were sitting together. The taller one has short gray hair, light skin, dark eyes, and a gold tooth. He was wearing a maroon shirt that was opened by three buttons and khaki shorts along with gray slip ons. He has a golden chain on his neck and a gold tooth that sparkled in the sun as he smiled at his seat partner. The other man was tan with dark blue eyes and brown hair tied into a high ponytail and he wore a blue sweater vest over a white shirt with dark gray slacks and gray dress shoes. He wore simple rectangular glasses and looked completely bored before he noticed how the older man was smiling at him. He raised his eyebrow and started to speak, revealing his British accent and low voice.
“Hello. Why are you staring at me?”
The older man looked surprised but laughed, his voice deep and almost gravelly, before he replied, “Sorry about that, man. Just thought you seemed cool.”
The British man raised his eyebrow before he said, “Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Alec Çelik.”
The older man grinned and shook Alec's hand as he introduced himself.
“I'm Connor Blake. Nice to meet you, Alec!”
Alec nodded slightly, giving an almost hesitant smile to the older man before he looked down at the book in his lap. Connor immediately looked interested and leaned in to see what he was reading. He recognized the psychology terms in the bit he could read and grinned.
“Are you a psychologist?”
Alec immediately looked up with confusion at Connor and then put a bookmark in his book before he closed it.
“I'm not, but I have been considering going back to college so I can get a degree. I brought my psychology books so I may study while I am here.”
Tilting his head, Connor questioned, “What if you get eliminated early? I mean, look around. The younger folks are all in good shape so they'd have no problem eliminating you and me early.”
Alec smiled slightly as he replied, “Well, then that would give me more time to study and I can call my son every day.”
Immediately, the old man looked interested and leaned forward slightly.
“You have a kid?”
Alec smiled softly and pulled a picture out of his vest before handing it to Connor, showing a little boy with light brown hair standing with a young woman with long, wavy, dark brown hair and a gentle smile. Connor stared at the picture for a second before he smiled and handed it back.
As Alec took the picture back and tucked it into his shirt, he said, “My son, Daniel, is only 6 so I want to give him the best life I can. If I win, I can get him into the best possible school and get him a good education. I want him to grow up with a good education.”
Connor smiled softly at him and responded, “That's a really nice goal. I hope your son knows how much you love him.”
Alec nodded before he said, “I make sure he does every day.”
- - -
Two rows ahead of the old man duo was a young Mexican woman with her dark purple hair tied into a long ponytail that barely passed her shoulders, her tan arms being shown off by the bright green sleeveless shirt that she wore along with mid shin length skinny jeans. She wore light purple slip on shoes and dark purple ankle socks. Her dark eyes sparkled in delight as she looked around at everyone before noticing the older woman sitting next to her. The woman had dark skin and long, dark brown locs that were tied up into a big bun, with teal beads decorating the loose locs that fell around her shoulders. She had heterochromia, her left eye a dark green while her right eye was bright gray. She wore a long yellow sweater over her white shirt, her pearl necklace resting on her collarbones slightly above her shirt. She wore dark blue jeans and 2 silver bracelets on her left hand, a small purple ring adorning her left middle finger. She looked down at the teen and smiled kindly, waving at her before the younger woman started talking to her, revealing she had a very excited voice and Mexican accent.
“Hi! I'm Rosa Maria. What's your name?”
The older woman smiled and patted the girl's head gently before she spoke, revealing a gentle and soft voice that carried a subtle Congolese accent.
“Hello Rosa Maria. My name is Dunia. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
Rosa looked very happy and clasped her hands together as she smiled brightly, obviously a very happy girl.
Dunia realized how young she looked and questioned, “How old are you, hun? You look too young to be here.”
She obviously hadn't noticed the literal six year old two rows in front of her.
Rosa giggled before she said, “I'm eighteen! So don't worry about me, miss.”
Dunia sighed softly before patting her head again, smiling kindly at her. She had slight worry in her eyes but had seemingly relaxed after hearing Rosa wasn't a kid. Rosa giggled slightly and smiled up at Dunia.
She suddenly asked, “Why are you on the show?”
The older woman smiled kindly before she said, “I want to support my mother by getting the money to help her business.”
Immediately, the teen perked up and looked interested.
“What's your mother's business?”
Smiling, the Canadian-Congolese woman said, “She's a tutor for college students who struggle with math. What about you, Rosa Maria? Why are you here?”
The teen paused before she sighed and pulled a picture from her pocket and handing it to Dunia. The picture was of a little girl with the same dark eyes, purple hair, and tan skin as Rosa.
The older woman asked, “Is this your little sister?”
Rosa shook her head before she said, “My daughter, Sofia. I want to give her a good life, better than mine.”
Dunia looked shocked before she handed the photo back, her eyes filled with more worry than earlier.
“Sweetheart, you have a daughter? But you're only eighteen.”
Rosa sighed softly and waved her hand.
“I know. But Sofia is my entire world. I won't let her down.”
Dunia smiled softly and gently patted Rosa's hand before she assured her, “I understand that. Be careful, though, hun.”
Rosa nodded with a smile as the camera panned away.
- - -
The camera panned to a tall man in a black and teal hoodie with black pants and black boots, who was sitting in the back of the bus, a row ahead and across the aisle from the chatting old men. He looked mysterious and almost scary due to the giant scar over his left eye that seemed to have blinded him in that eye due to the fogginess. He looked around before noticing the nervous looking man next to him. The man wore a dark orange sweater over a white button up shirt, a dark gray tie, black rectangular glasses, dress pants, dress shoes, and his dark brown hair was combed down except for his bangs which almost fell over his face. He seemed to be very nervous before he noticed the mysterious man staring at him. His eyes widened immediately and he tensed, looking awkward and even more nervous.
“U-Um… Hi… Did- Did I do something?”
His voice was quiet but was very obviously higher pitched, which the mysterious man assumed was due to him being nervous since he heard the other man's voice quiver slightly. He continued his silent staring for a minute longer, making the already nervous man next to him seemingly shrink down more and hug himself. He finally decided to reply to him.
He said, “You didn't do anything. Is staring at people a crime now?”
His voice was deep and slightly raspy, making the other man shrink into himself. He rolled his eyes slightly as the other man stuttered something out. He seemed very awkward and nervous.
The other man finally asked, “So, do you have a name or is it just anxious?”
The younger man's eyes widened before he stuttered, “O- Oh! I'm Benji. Um… what's you n- name?”
The other man smiled now and held his gloved hand out before he said, “I'm Tom. Nice to meet you, Benji.”
Benji slowly extended his hand and shook Tom's hand, looking nervous still. The older man raised his eyebrow at Benji’s nervousness but shrugged it off mentally. He didn't seem to care about Benji's obvious awkwardness much. He turned his head to stare out the window before he heard Benji's voice speak up again.
“U- Um… why are you dressed like that? Aren't you worried about overheating since we'll probably be outside a lot?”
Tom shrugged before he said, “I'm sensitive to the sun and to the cold. So I have to cover as much skin as possible so I don't get rashes or a cold.”
Benji looked surprised and then confused, tilting his head with a confused look.
“Why come onto the show then where we'll be in the sun a lot?”
The tall man smiled under his mask before he said, “Well, I want to try and do as much as I can even if I have bad sensitivities.”
Smiling now, Benji said, “Well, that's really cool. I'm proud of you for not letting your sensitivities get in your way.”
Tom looked relaxed and tilted his head with a kind look.
“Are you okay, dude? You seem really anxious.”
Benji laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head before he admitted, “Yeah… I just don't… have a lot of experience interacting with people.”
Tom smiled slightly and said, “Well, you'll definitely get more here.”
- - -
A young man with tan skin, dark blue hair, and dark eyes was sitting near Tom and Benji, playing with his gray gloves and golden bracelets while he looked around, his light purple choker standing out against his skin while the golden charm rested against his collar bones. His hoodie was mostly dark pink with dark blue sleeves and he wore light blue jean shorts along with pink and blue sneakers. He tugged on his gloves more until he noticed the man next to him grinning. He looked surprised and looked him up and down, noting the man's dark skin, curly black hair, silver nose ring, dark yellow shirt, and yellow eyeshadow, along with his dark blue skinny jeans and black sneakers. He smiled and waved at the man before he spoke, his voice gentle and calm with a slight cautious tone.
“Hey! I'm Jake. What's your name?”
The other man immediately grinned at him and winked playfully at him before he responded, his voice flirtatious and confident while carrying an obvious Brazilian accent.
“Hi~. I'm James Costa. Yes, the @JamesCosta from Instagram and Tiktok.”
Jake paused and stared blankly, obviously unsure who James was. He smiled awkwardly and James seemed to realize that Jake didn't know him, making him look shocked before he grinned even more at the other man. He lifted Jake's hand and kissed it gently, making Jake look surprised but blush slightly. He smiled at James awkwardly but he seemed mostly relaxed and calm. James could tell that and smiled even more at him, enjoying when he could flirt with pretty people.
He leaned close to Jake and, grinning still, asked, “What's a pretty man like you doing here instead of modelling for a designer brand?”
Jake looked surprised but laughed quietly, blushing still, and responded, “Well, I'm not really model material, am I? I'm too short to be a male model and I'm not all that pretty, anyways.”
He started tugging on his gloves before James decided to question, “So, why are you on the show, pretty boy?”
The mixed man paused and sighed softly before he looked down and said, “My grandma. She's sick and I need to pay for the insurance so I can get her medicine and get her a caregiver. She and my mom don't get along at all so my mom's refusing to pay for her insurance. I- I can't let my grandma just suffer without at least trying to help. She's been basically my mom since I was little…”
James looked worried now for Jake and gently held his hand before squeezing it softly.
“I'm sure she'll be proud of you for trying. She sounds like a nice woman.”
The Brazilian influencer smiled kindly at Jake as the other man rubbed his eyes with a slight smile.
“Thanks, James. I might as well ask, why are you on the show?”
The influencer sighed softly and looked away, looking almost embarrassed.
“I.. I decided to join so I can increase my following on social media. I know, it's not exactly a noble reason and it feels a bit silly after hearing your reason.”
He noticed Jake's kind smile before the other man gently rubbed his hand, looking caring.
“Hey, I think that's an interesting reason. Besides, it can be noble.”
James raised his eyebrow before Jake explained, “Well, I remember that if you get a certain amount of followers on tiktok, you get paid so if you use that money for something noble, then your reasoning can be noble!”
James paused and then smiled before he responded, “Well, my sister, Carla, wants to go to an American college so I want to help pay for her to get to America and for her to go through college.”
Jake nodded and clasped his hands together before he said, “There you go! A noble reason!”
The influencer smiled at his seatmate with an interested look in his eyes as he rested his hands on his knees.
- - -
Across the aisle from them, a tall, muscular, young black woman with dark brown bubble braids tied back to a ponytail with a camouflage green hair tie was sitting straight up, her camo jacket and white crop top tight to her body and showing off her muscles. She wore dark camo print pants and combat boots along with a camo print hat. Her gentle and soft dark purple eyes sparkled as she looked around, obviously just happy to be there before she noticed the pretty woman next to her. The woman had slightly darker skin along with lighter patches of skin, including a heart shaped patch around her right eye. She had white streaks in her black, curly hair and white eyelashes that made her dark purple eyes stand out more. She wore a light pastel green hoodie with some darker green stripes and a darker green turtle on her chest. She wore denim jeans that went to her mid chin and green slip ons and seemed to be constantly focused on something in her head. She was on the chubby side, making the muscular woman next to her stare with slight interest before she suddenly offered her hand, showing she wore dark gray gloves that went slightly past her wrist with small circles revealing scars on the back of her hands that seemed to be from working with fire. The other woman noticed the offered hand and raised her eyebrow before the taller woman spoke, her voice slightly lower pitched with an authoritative tone and clear kindness present.
“Hey there. I'm Marissa Xulu.”
The other woman looked the now identified Marissa up and down before she slowly accepted her hand, revealing more patches on her fingers, palm, and back of her hand before she spoke, her voice low, calm, and monotone.
“Hello to you too, I suppose. My name's Jade.”
Marissa basically beamed and gently gripped Jade's hand, obviously a very happy woman. Jade looked slightly confused and pulled her hand back the second that Marissa's grip loosened, making the taller woman pout slightly. Jade gave a slightly awkward smile towards Marissa and seemed to attempt to push herself into the wall of the bus as if to hide herself. Marissa blinked and tilted her head, her braids falling to the side and making Jade sigh softly before she reluctantly seemed to relax. Marissa smiled kindly at her before speaking again.
“Sorry if I came on too strongly. I know I have that tendency. My dad says it's not the best idea if I want to join the army like him and my brothers.”
Now, Jade looked interested and tilted her head slightly, smiling finally.
She asked, “Oh? You want to join the army?”
The muscular woman nodded with a smile before she explained, “It's basically tradition on my dad's side of the family to join the military before you hit 30. Most of us go into the army, but one of my cousins went into the Navy and… that didn't go over well with the family at all.”
Jade raised her eyebrow at that but Marissa waved it off as she looked away.
- - -
Ren was gently stroking Fiore's hair still, smiling softly as they held the little girl close to their side, obviously already very protective of her when they heard a soft but higher pitched giggle behind them. They looked up to see a pretty woman with Korean features and a slight tan smiling down at them from the seat behind them. She had dark eyes and long, straight, extremely dark purple hair tied back into a ponytail that fell over her shoulder. She wore a pink crop top sweater over a collared white crop top with long sleeves. She seemed to be a very nice girl, proven more as she waved with a big, bright smile. She glanced down at Fiore, who was now just staring ahead at the road, staying silent with a bored look in her big eyes.
Ren rubbed her head before reaching up to offer their hand to the girl, smiling kindly as they said, “Hey, I'm Ren. What's your name?”
The dark haired woman giggled again before she responded, her voice soft and sweet with a gentle little giggle clear on every word.
“I'm Ara! You seem nice, Ren. This is Fiore, right? Sorry, I heard your conversation earlier. Am I rambling?”
Ren looked surprised but laughed softly and waved their hand, ignoring that Ara didn't shake it.
“Don't worry about rambling. I think it's cute when people get excited about something to the point they can just ramble about it. It's interesting to see how excited people can get.”
Ara smiled brightly at them and crossed her arm before resting them on top of the seat and laying her cheek on them, looking like a happy girl. She looked around before she decided to ask something.
“Who do you think is going to be out first? I'm saying it’s one of those old men in the back.”
Ren seemed shocked because they stuttered something and placed one hand gently over their mouth. Ara raised her eyebrow before reaching out to brush Ren’s bangs from their face, making them flinch back. She paused, her hand still outstretched before she slowly pulled her hand back, looking confused. Ren smoothed their bangs down with an almost nervous pout before they sighed.
“U- Um… sorry. I don't like people touching my hair. It's um… a bit of a touchy subject. Sorry again though.”
Ara paused before she giggled and waved it off, seemingly not caring at all.
“Don't worry about it! I'm sorry about just trying to touch your hair without asking. That was a bit rude of me. Sorry!”
Ren smiled kindly at her and patted her hand gently, relaxing slightly.
“Don't worry about it, Ara! You didn't mean to make me uncomfortable. So it's okay.”
They playfully stuck their tongue out and flashed a finger gun at Ara, making her giggle and place her hand over her mouth. She seemed to enjoy the kind attention and looked away from Ren. They seemed to be a very friendly person, making Ara beam as she leaned over the back of the seat, her arms dangling over the back of it.
“Well, I hope we're on the same team, Ren.”
- - -
Connor looked around the bus after he had his conversation with Alec, looking happy after getting to learn about his new friend's family and life along with his plans for if he won the money. As he looked around, he noticed a young Indian woman leaning over the back of the seat in front of him, her long, wavy, dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail that rested against her back and she had big, dark eyes that sparkled with interest and delight. She wore a red jacket over a light yellow dress with a slightly darker belt tied around her slender waist, her jacket matching her red lipstick. She held her hand out to him, revealing bright red nail polish that seemed to have glitter in it due to how much it sparkled in the sun. Connor paused and smiled before he took it, being gentle since her smaller hand felt delicate compared to his. He shook it gently before the woman spoke, revealing she had a soft and almost melodic voice and a South Indian accent.
“Hi! I'm Riya Sharma! And you're Connor? Sorry, I couldn't help but hear your conversation earlier. I didn't mean to eavesdrop! It just sort of is hard not to!”
She stared with an almost adorable wide eyed look at Connor, making him laugh and wave it off, seemingly not caring much. Riya relaxed when she realized that Connor didn't mind her accidental eavesdropping and beamed brightly, obviously just happy to be there. Connor smiled slightly at her now and relaxed back in his seat, ignoring the side eye from Alec as he read his book. Riya also didn't seem to notice the look since she dropped her arms so that they rested against the back of the seat and then rested her chin on top of the seat, giggling happily. Connor mentally noted that she seemed happy just to exist and was a very upbeat person who was obviously very excited to be around people.
Riya then asked, “What do you do for work, Connor?”
The older man paused before he sighed and admitted, “I run a very successful perfume company. You might have heard of it. Blake Industries."
Riya's eyes lit up in excitement and she exclaimed, “I've always wanted to buy one of your perfumes! But I've never had enough for one. I'm trying to save up enough so I can buy one for my little sister, Eesha.”
Connor looked surprised and smiled softly at that before he questioned, “What do you do for work?”
He noticed the younger woman's falter and slight panic before she sighed and answered, “I'm attempting to become an actress. So far, it's been a bust and I've only managed to get background character roles. I almost managed to score a speaking role but then I lost the role to one of the other white actresses. It's a really hard industry for women of color.”
Connor paused and then smiled slightly.
“Hey, what if I help you after the show? I probably can help get you some starring roles or you can even model for my company and get the employee discount.”
Riya looked shocked but beamed and nodded.
“I would love that! Thank you so much!”
He waved it off with a smile and said, “You don't need to thank me. I think you'd be perfect as a model."
- - -
After talking with James for a little bit, Jake decided to relax against the back of his seat, sighing softly as he played with his bracelets before he felt eyes on him. He looked up to see Marissa smiling at him, her dark purple eyes soft and gentle. He waved awkwardly at her and she immediately waved back, being very kind immediately to him, which he seemed to appreciate. He turned in his seat so that he was facing her and tilted his head with a smile, looking interested in her already friendly attitude and behavior.
He played with his hair as he asked, “So, are you just going to stare or will you say something?”
He was obviously just teasing her and Marissa seemed to know that since she laughed and waved her hand slightly at him, looking calm. She took her hat off to tip it at him with a bright smile, causing Jake to laugh too.
After a second of thought, Marissa said, “Sorry about just staring. I was trying to think if I recognized you. You seem to have a really recognizable face.”
Jake looked surprised now and lifted his hand to his face gently before he smiled slightly. He seemed surprised by that and almost flustered by the kind woman's compliment. He waved his hand that wasn't on his face with a shy look as James glanced at him. The influencer raised his eyebrow as he watched Marissa laugh softly at Jake's shyness.
Marissa reached out to gently pat Jake's head, smiling kindly as she said, “Hey, no need to get shy on me. I'm just telling the truth. You're actually really pretty for a guy.”
Jake's dark eyes widened in surprise before he smiled brightly at her and asked, “I am? I've… I've never been told that before.”
He noticed the shocked look from the military woman and he immediately looked awkward. He turned away from her before he felt Marissa gently place her hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see nothing but kindness and gentleness in her eyes. He stared for a second in surprise before Marissa tilted her head with a bright smile.
“Jake, don't worry about it. You seem to be really… unconfident. But hey, confidence is something you have to find yourself. It can come naturally for sure, but not everyone can just be naturally a confident person.”
Jake seemed to have a slight evaluation of his life as he stared at the woman next to him and looked down before smiling slightly, seemingly relaxing and being happier.
“So… how did you get so confident?”
He noticed the way Marissa tensed up and froze after he asked that and felt surprised that she would get so nervous over that question. He decided to do what she had done and reached out to gently pat her arm, causing her to look up with a kind smile at him. He smiled back at her with a shy look and she laughed.
“You're an odd man, Jake. But you're nice.”
The man beamed at her and she smiled softly.
- - -
Ara was still leaning over the back of the seat, watching Ren hold a very pouty Fiore when the bus suddenly lurched to a stop in front of the camp. Fiore grabbed Ren's shirt as Ara fell back into her seat with a tiny yelp. Marissa had thrown her arm in front of Jade as if to stop her from sliding forward while Benji had been caught off guard and fallen off his seat. James grabbed Jake's arm quickly while Dunia pulled Rosa into her arms and Riya slammed her foot into the seat in front of her to stabilize herself. Connor, Alec, and Tom hadn't slid around, but Alec had dropped his book and his glasses had slipped from his nose. They all looked surprised before they heard the bus driver yell at them.
“The hosts are gonna call your names when I open these doors. The first seven people will like up on the right side of the sign and the last seven people will like up on the left side. Got it?”
Fiore clung to Ren and looked up with a little pout but before she could say anything, the doors opened and they felt a burst of cool air. Most of the contestants shivered but Tom and Benji were both wearing sweaters and long pants so they weren't bothered by the wind.
The contestants heard one of the hosts announce, “Welcome to Camp Tipiskaw, viewers! The contestants have arrived and it's time to split them up! Welcome the teal team, Ren, Ara, Marissa, Fiore, Rosa, Jake, and James!”
The seven who heard their names grabbed their bags and got off the bus in the order they had heard their names, Ren gently picking Fiore's bag up and helping her off the bus before he handed her bag to her. The little girl pouted slightly as she followed him before taking her bag back after they gathered under the teal team flag. Fiore made grabby hands at her backpack, making Ren sigh softly before he gently handed it to her.
As the little girl hugged her bag to her chest, Emily announced the purple team.
“And here's our purple team, Connor, Alec, Riya, Benji, Jade, Dunia, and Tom!”
As they walked off the bus, Marissa caught Jade's eye and waved at her, making the other woman smile awkwardly as she waved back. Ara and Fiore quickly noted that and Fiore's eyes narrowed slightly.
- - -
Confessional: Fiore
She was playing with her skirt before she waved at the camera.
“Hii! I'm Fiore and I'm six years old! I came into this show because my mama said that we need money so she sent me here! I hope I can make lots of friends!”
- - -
Confessional: Jade
The woman had one leg crossed over the other, her hands folded together against her stomach.
“My name's Jade Tanko. I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to win. I won't let myself be pushed around by anybody but I won't be pushy either. I plan on flying under the radar.”
- - -
Confessional: Ren
He looked almost mischievous as he grinned impishly and placed one hand against his cheek before he spoke.
“Heya! I'm Ren Moraga and I'm the future winner of Disventure Camp! I won't be the type to just sacrifice my game for anybody! And don't worry about me falling in love with anyone. I don't plan on it!”
They flashed a peace sign and grinned widely at the camera.
- - -
Confessional: Benji
He looked nervous and awkward as he tapped his fingers together, his body tense.
“Um… hi! I'm Benji Hattori and I'm… I'm here so that I can pay for my law school since… my parents said they want me to go and I already got in but they- they don't want to pay if I can't study. So… I have to get money for school somehow…”
- - -
The teams stood with each other while the hosts looked proud. Emily stepped forward and held her arms up as she began to explain.
“Welcome to Disventure Camp, campers! You'll be spending the next few weeks here with nothing but tents, a machete, a lot, and your backpacks! So I hope that you packed wisely.”
Immediately, Ara snapped, “I thought we would be getting cabins!”
When a murmur of agreement spread through the contestants, Trevor joined Emily's side and held her hand as he said, “Should have read your contracts, campers! Anyways, you'll be competing in a challenge every other day and the losing team will have to go to elimination where they permanently vote off a fellow teammate! The winning team will get immunity and occasionally another prize, which can include a call home, waterproof tents, sleeping bags, and cooking supplies!”
Emily gave her co host a grateful look and squeezed his hand gently before she continued, “At the very end, the final two will compete for the final time to find out who will win a million dollars!”
Trevor then threw a map at each team, Marissa catching the one for teal and Tom catching the map for purple.
Emily looked at Trevor with a soft smile as he said, “You guys can go set up camp. Be prepared to be called for your first challenge at any time!”
- - -
The teal team was seen walking to camp, Marissa in the front as she led them to camp. She seemed relaxed and confident while everyone else chatted, some looking excited while others seemed annoyed or tired. Ren walked faster to catch up to her and grinned widely at her. He waved at her and Marissa paused before she smiled and waved back.
Grinning, the Chilean American teased, “Well, well, well, Miss Leader. You took charge pretty fast~.”
Marissa looked surprised at him before her eyes softened and she smiled brightly at him before she replied, “Well, I kind of have to be used to being in charge if I’m going to join the army, don’t I?”
When the shorter person looked surprised, Marissa raised her eyebrow with an almost playful smile and teased, “What? Did you think all of this camouflage was for show?”
Ren shrugged and was about to reply when Ara popped up between them with a sweet look and asked, “What are we talking about?”
Marissa looked surprised at Ara’s sudden appearance but smiled softly at her before Ren replied, “I was just chatting with Marissa about how easily~ she took control of the team. Turns out Ms. Leader here is aiming to be in the army! So she’s probably super strong~.”
Marissa seemed to notice the way Ren worded his sentences painted her as a threat and her eyes immediately narrowed.
- - -
Confessional: Marissa
She looked annoyed and suspicious.
“Listen, despite all the stereotypes I know that people are going to try and force on me since I’m a black woman, I’m not an idiot. I can tell when someone is trying to paint me in a bad light and that’s definitely what Ren is doing. I’m going to have to keep an eye on that one…”
- - -
While the trio at the front was talking, Rosa kept looking at Fiore with a worried look. The little girl was humming happily as she walked next to James, who pointedly ignored her while Jake kept glancing at Fiore then Rosa with a concerned look. James noticed Jake and Rosa’s worried looks before he finally glanced down at Fiore and looked shocked. Fiore noticed the looks and tilted her head with a confused look, sticking her tongue out as she did. Jake gently scooped her up, earning a wide eyed look of surprise from the girl as she immediately grabbed onto his jacket collar.
Rosa got close to them and, looking at Fiore, asked, “Why are you here, sweetie? Aren’t you… a little too young to be on the show?”
The little girl giggled and waved before she said, “My mommy said that I have to go since she and daddy are busy working all day, I have to go on the show to help them pay off mommy’s school debt! She said that if I didn’t manage to get money, I would be… um… I think she said disowned? I don’t know what that means though.”
Jake, James, and Rosa stared at the girl in horror as she looked at the trio with wide eyes. She looked entirely sweet and innocent while the adults were horrified by what she said.
- - -
Confessional: Rosa
She had her hands clenched and she looked extremely upset.
“Who forces their little girl to go on a show and threatens to disown her if she doesn’t win?!”
- - -
Confessional: Jake
He looked angry.
“Fiore’s parents are pieces of shit! Who the hell does that to their own child?!”
- - -
The purple team was walking to camp, Tom in front of everyone as he walked silently before he felt someone tap his arm. He looked down to see Riya’s big, dark brown eyes staring up at him with a happy smile on her face. She waved at him with a happy giggle, causing him to raise his eyebrow at her. He seemed to already not like her much. She seemed absolutely oblivious though when she started talking.
“Hiii! I’m Riya Sharma! What’s your name?”
Tom looked away from her silently, making her pout as she moved to walk in front of him, walking backwards so that she could talk to him.
“You know, it’s kind of mean to just ignore your teammates. You should try and talk with people so that you don’t get eliminated early.”
She beamed when Tom sighed in annoyance before he said, “Fine. My name is Tom. Are you happy now?”
He noticed the actress’s eyes light up with delight when he talked to her. He immediately regretted it when Riya started chattering more.
“I’m an actress! Well… background actress for now, but hopefully soon I’ll have more starring roles! I also have a little sister named Eesha! Do you have any siblings?”
Tom looked baffled by Riya’s energy and stared with confusion, now distracted from the map. He stared down at the young woman with an almost weirded out look as she stared at him expectantly.
He sighed softly before he said, “I’m not going to tell you my job, but I have a little brother named Andy.”
Riya’s eyes lit up before she said, “Wouldn’t it be so cute if our siblings somehow met and started dating?”
When Tom didn’t answer, Riya pouted and left him to cling to Connor with an angry little pout. He patted her head gently as Alec side eyed them, looking almost judgemental. Dunia was flipping through her tarot cards, shuffling them as she walked next to Jade. The two women basically ignored each other while Benji looked at them nervously, tapping his finger against his leg. He looked shy and unsure if he should talk to them, which Dunia noticed. She smiled kindly and moved to his side, scaring him. He looked up at her with wide eyes as she began to speak.
“Are you okay, kid? You seem real anxious.”
The law student opened and closed his mouth before he sighed softly and admitted, “I… I’m not exactly what you would call um… socially capable? I- I’m honestly a bit nervous…”
Dunia paused before she started laughing and said, “I think anyone could tell you that, kiddo. It doesn’t take a genius to tell.”
Benji immediately turned red at that and stuttered awkwardly before he gave up on the sentence and looked away. Dunia immediately felt bad and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, smiling kindly at him.
“I was only teasing, don’t worry. If it helps, I used to be very anxious.”
The witch laughed slightly when Benji looked up wide eyed at her.
“You? But… you seem so confident.”
She paused and smiled before winking playfully and saying, “Well, that’s my little secret, isn’t it?”
Benji immediately pouted as Jade glanced at them bored, her dark eyes filled with unamusement and almost annoyance.
- - -
Confessional: Benji
“That lady seems really nice! I’m… just realizing though that I don’t know her name.”
- - -
The teal team was sitting around their campfire while Marissa was busy starting it, her dark skin glistening with sweat in the sun, earning an interested look from Ara as she stared. Ren noticed and poked her ribs gently with a grin, making her pout at him as Fiore sat on a log next to them, kicking her feet as she played with her ponytail.
Ren sat down next to the camo clad woman and held their hand out for the rocks with a bright smile before offering, “How about I get the fire started while you, Rosa, Jake, and James get water and some food? After all, we don’t want our strongest teammate getting tired making a silly old fire, do we?”
Marissa’s eyes narrowed slightly before she seemed to have an idea.
“Sure. That sounds good. Jake, James, Rosa?”
She handed the stones over to Ren while James looked annoyed and stayed sitting, looking stubborn while Jake and Rosa both stood up willingly, Rosa smiling brightly while Jake glanced at James. He looked slightly annoyed at the other man being stubborn before James whined.
“Why did I get volunteered? Why didn’t anybody else?”
Jake seemed to have enough because he grabbed James’s wrist and yanked him up, looking annoyed with him while James looked shocked that Jake had enough strength to drag him up. He was so surprised that he allowed Jake to drag him off to get food without too much of a fight. Marissa sighed softly and picked up the bucket that Trevor had forgotten to mention before when talking about the things that they’d have at their campsite. She looked at Rosa and smiled as she started to go to the lake, the teen mom following her without hesitation, a big smile on her face. Ren rolled their eyes as the group did, looking annoyed. They glanced at Fiore, who’d fallen off the log and was now just laying in the dirt.
When the others walked off, Fiore pushed herself up and asked, “Woah. I bet that they’re gonna be super close friends when they come back!”
Ren froze while he was making the fire and groaned quietly before Ara said, “Uh oh… What if they ally then?!”
Fiore, now putting on an even more innocent look, hugged Ara’s arm and said, “What if we… ally… then? Become friends too!”
Ren smiled as he finally finished the fire and walked over before picking Fiore up.
“That's a good idea, kiddo! You’re such a smart girl.”
Fiore stuck her tongue out slightly and flopped in their arms.
- - -
Confessional: Fiore
She wrinkled her nose and shook her hands as if she had touched something disgusting before she spoke, her eyes filled with annoyance.
“Ugh! I hate having to pretend to be an innocent little kid! Do you know how sickeningly annoying it is?! But I have to if I want to make it far, so… I have to suck it up and let these idiots treat me like a dumb little girl.”
- - -
Marissa was kneeling in the water while she filled up the bucket, Rosa standing behind her. The young mom looked happy and leaned over Marissa’s shoulder, her dark eyes sparkling with delight. Marissa noticed and smiled kindly before she spoke.
“Well, you seem like a very happy person.”
Rosa giggled happily at her and beamed before she replied, “I try to be as happy as possible, especially because I always tell my daughter to keep a smile on her face and a positive attitude!”
She noticed the older woman falter before Marissa recovered and turned to her with a sweet smile.
“Well, that’s a good mindset to have, isn’t it?”
Rosa beamed before she nodded, smiling brightly at her teammate. Marissa looked around as she tugged her hat down on her head, looking slightly apprehensive. Rosa tilted her head with an interested look and gently tugged on Marissa’s jacket, being careful so that she didn’t end up ripping it. Marissa smiled up at her softly and patted her head, holding the bucket carefully with one hand before she seemed to have an idea. She gently grabbed Rosa’s hand and began to walk off, confusing her.
Rosa asked, “Wha- Where are we going?”
Marissa gave her a kind smile before she explained, “We need to find Jake and James. We can ally with them and ensure that we make it to the merge.”
Rosa’s eyes lit up in excitement and she looked happy as they walked up to Jake and James. James was standing underneath a tree while Jake tossed apples down at him, occasionally wobbling with a nervous look. He noticed Marissa and Rosa and placed his hands on the branches to balance himself as he tilted his head at the women, now looking interested. James turned around and raised his eyebrow at the duo as Marissa began to talk.
“I want to propose an alliance between us four. After all, an alliance will put us in the majority and can get all of us to the merge, don’t you agree?”
Jake immediately nodded with a beam before he responded, “I think that sounds awesome! James?”
The influencer thought for a minute before he smiled and gave a thumbs up, looking relaxed as he smirked.
“Sure. Why not? That sounds good.”
Marissa smiled and glanced down at Rosa before Jake suddenly asked a question.
“So Fiore is going to be the target for the first vote, right?”
Rosa paused but nodded, James and Marissa also agreeing after a moment of thought. Jake looked sad but the four all seemed to not want to vote for anybody else.
After a minute of silence, James said, “It makes sense to get her out first. She’s young, she’s small, and it’s very dangerous to keep her here since we don’t know what challenges there will be.”
Marissa nodded as she agreed, saying, “It’s better to get her off the show early so she won’t get hurt than to risk letting her be hurt.”
Rosa nodded before she said, “I can’t imagine what her parents were thinking. I would never let my daughter on this show.”
Jake and James stared at her in shock now before Rosa looked away with an awkward look, clearly not liking the looks.
- - -
The purple team was sitting around their fire, Benji awkwardly sitting farther from everyone, Jade sitting near enough to him that he could talk to her but she could pretend not to hear him, Connor and Riya sitting next to each other as they talked, Alec reading his book on the other side of Connor as he ignored the duo, Dunia sitting right near the fire as she gently fanned it to keep it alive, and Tom was next to her, checking the fire. He seemed to not care too much that he kept getting weird looks from the tarot reader. He instead ignored her mostly except to push her hands away from the rocks when she ended up placing them too close. She’d give him a slightly annoyed look before she’d smile and go back to fanning the flames.
Eventually, Tom said, “I think the fire’s fine, Dunia. It doesn’t need you to keep fanning it.”
The witch stared quietly at him for a second before she moved to sit with Benji, who immediately looked more awkward. He smiled nervously at her and tugged on his small tie, his tired eyes filled with nervousness and slight anxiety. Dunia smiled kindly at him and hugged him close to her side before glancing at Alec, her eyes narrowing slightly as she saw him still reading, looking extremely bored. She mumbled slightly in annoyance before hiding it behind a sweet smile on her face. She glanced at Benji again, who was playing with the edges of his sweater and the collar of his shirt. He looked nervous before Dunia spoke.
“Kiddo, you mentioned that you’re not exactly socially capable. Can you explain more?”
He paused and looked down, neither noticing Jade moving closer to them, her dark eyes sparkling and contrasting against her white eyelashes. She leaned forward to listen to what Benji said.
The young man sighed before he explained, “Um… Basically, when I was younger… My parents had me stay home a lot and stay in my room to study law, math, and medicine so that they could force me to be an architect, doctor, or lawyer. I also had three different language tutors that would come to my house every other day so that I could be bilingual too so they could pay as little as possible for school. So I didn’t get to interact much with other kids or make friends so I never really developed very good social skills.”
Jade scared him when she said, “So I’m assuming that you joined the game so you could learn how to socialize and make friends with people?”
The law student stared at her with wide eyes but was meant with a blank and quiet stare, making him shrink back with an almost intimidated look. He almost hid himself behind Dunia, who reassuringly patted his head. He smiled up at her before noticing how Riya was poking Tom, her big eyes sparkling with delight. She then laid herself on his back, making him look annoyed and his blind eye seemingly darkened. He started to push her away but gave up when dropped her weight on him.
- - -
Confessional: Benji
“Jade scares me a little bit… So does Tom. Does everyone on this team alternate between scary and nice?”
- - -
Riya was leaning against Connor with a happy look, her big and sparkly eyes filled with happiness as she hummed happily. Connor gently patted her head as he looked at everybody. He noted quietly how Alec was still reading while Tom had moved to sit by himself, Benji talking with Jade and Dunia, before he glanced back down at Riya, who looked almost bored now. He patted her head gently, making her beam with delight at him. She hugged his arm tight before Alec finally spoke up, staring at Jade, Dunia, and Benji.
“Those 3 are odd, aren’t they?”
The trio had evidently heard because Jade glared, Dunia’s eyes narrowed, and Benji immediately looked hurt. Connor immediately cursed mentally, realizing that single comment might have gotten Alec three votes already. He glanced at Tom, who was refusing to look at anyone and instead kept glancing back at the forest. He sighed and started hoping that Alec had enough common sense to not say anything that may annoy Tom and get him four votes against him. But, Alec quickly proved he had less common sense than someone would assume someone who wants to be a psychologist would have.
“Tom seems… very suspicious, doesn’t he? As if he has something to hide.”
Riya and Connor both saw how Tom tensed up and stared now at them, his eyes narrowed, which made his scarred eye look almost scary. Connor and Riya both seemed to realize that Alec was the main target as they shared a look. Alec, meanwhile, was oblivious and had gone back to reading.
Jade glared still before leaning close to Dunia and Benji, her dark eyes sparkling as she said, “Can we all agree to target Alec at the first vote?”
Benji’s eyes widened but he nodded when he saw Dunia nod out of the corner of his eye. Jade then smiled before she glazed at Tom and said, “I’m going to get Tom on our side. Then we have an easy first vote.”
When the duo quietly agreed, she stood up and walked over to sit next to Tom, causing him to tense slightly. He stared down at her as Jade made her proposition.
“Tom, I’d like to offer you an early alliance and an easy vote.”
The mysterious man paused and stared now with slight interest no, leaning forward slightly to stare. When Jade didn’t immediately speak, he waved his hand at her, signalling for her to speak. She sighed before she made her proposition.
“I’d like to suggest we work with Benji and Dunia to get Alec off first.”
Tom now smiled under his mask and nodded, offering his hand as if to solidify the alliance.
When Jade shook his hand, he said, “Well, I’m glad to work with you three.”
She smiled back at him and nodded too, her eyes sparkling softly. She went back to Dunia and Benji, who were quietly whispering. When they stopped the second that she rejoined, her eyes narrowed slightly but Benji was quick to explain.
“W- We were just trying to decide if we… we should throw the first challenge to get Alec out.”
Jade raised her eyebrow but shook her head.
“We don’t want to risk any of us being kicked off early if there is some sort of advantage. After all, even if the hosts haven’t mentioned an advantage, they could just be keeping it a secret.”
She smiled slightly when Benji’s eyes widened but then Dunia patted his head and replied, “Well, then we’ll just have to try and win every possible challenge, huh?”
- - -
The teams were shown on a split camera when they heard Emily’s voice over the speakerphone.
“Hey there, campers! Make your way to the challenge area! It’s time for your first challenge!”
The cameras showed Ren pick Fiore up while Jade just left ahead of the purple team, seemingly bored of them.
- - -
Confessional: Jade
She looked almost bored.
“We have to try and win today’s challenge so we don’t have to immediately vote somebody off. I don’t want to be a target early, but I also want to make sure I’m not seen as the weak link in the alliance.”
- - -
The two teams stood in front of the hosts, facing Trevor’s wide smile and Emily’s confident smirk. Two boxes sat in front of them, the purple box was in front of Emily and the teal box was in front of Trevor. Everyone looked confused by the boxes and Fiore started to raise her hand before Emily began to explain.
“Welcome to the first challenge area, campers! Before we explain the challenge, you must cast your votes to get somebody out!”
A few gasps were heard through the campers but Marissa glanced at Rosa, Jake, and James and she got small but subtle nods, which Ren noticed, making them tense slightly as he realized he made a mistake having those four go off alone to get the food and water earlier. He held Fiore tighter, making her squeak and look up, her tongue sticking out slightly. Her eyes filled with annoyance for a second when Ara stroked her hair before going to cast her vote but quickly returned to a cutesy look. Ren handed her to Marissa as Ara came back, making Fiore whine quietly. She dropped her weight immediately in Marissa’s arms, scaring the young woman. She almost dropped Fiore but held her gently. Fiore pouted angrily but let Marissa hold her before it was her turn to vote. Marissa looked relaxed as Ren and Ara glanced at her before noticing that Benji had been standing at the voting booth for a few minutes. He looked nervous before Trevor walked over to him and said something quietly. Benji nodded slowly but smiled nervously before finally putting his vote in the box. When everyone had voted, Emily read through the purple team's votes while Trevor read through the teal team’s votes.
Trevor then stepped forward holding the teal team’s votes with a grin before he said, “The results are in! From the teal team, the person who received the most votes was… Fiore!”
Ren glared immediately at Jake, James, Marissa, and Rosa, but Ara just hugged Fiore, who looked very confused why she was getting hugs and affection, tightly before putting her down. Fiore looked upset before Emily stepped forward next to Trevor and gripped his hand gently.
“Wait a second, campers. I haven't revealed the purple team yet.”
The purple team immediately looked at each other with a mix of nervous and bored looks.
Emily then said, “The person voted from the purple team is… Alec!”
The British psychologist looked shocked and turned to his team before Trevor made another announcement.
“But wait! There’s a twist! Alec and Fiore, just because you two were voted from your teams doesn’t mean that you were voted from the game! Because guess what?”
Emily giggled at him before she finished, “This first vote is actually a team swap! Fiore and Alec, go to the other team!”
Fiore beamed before she skipped over to the purple team and immediately wrapped her arms around Benji’s leg, making him look nervous while Alec walked over to the teal team, ignoring the bored looks from them. None of them seemed to be too happy with having him join their team while the purple team seemed to like Fiore, proven when Dunia picked Fiore up and held her like a baby. She giggled at them with a happy look and glanced at Ren, who seemed very upset she was now on the other team. Jade and Tom seemed to be the only two ones on the purple team who were unimpressed with the girl. Emily suddenly tossed a flag at both teams and Tom caught the purple team flag while Alec caught the teal team flag. They all looked confused before Emil began to explain.
“Today’s challenge is very simple! It’s a mix of paintball and capture the flag. The flags you have must be guarded by three people at your base and then the other four will be attempting to capture the other team’s flag! If you get shot, no, there’s no consequences. The first team to get their flag to the platform with me and Trevor will win a waterproof tent and insulated sleeping bags for the entirety of premerge!”
Everyone gasped slightly now and Fiore clapped in Dunia’s arms, looking excited.
- - -
Confessional: Fiore
She pulled on her ponytail, grinning almost widely.
“Well, looks like I can get a possible ally here! I just need to get the right people with me.”
- - -
At the purple team’s spot, Fiore sat on the chair, kicking her feet with a happy look before she asked, “Can I have Miss Jade and Mr. Benji with me? They seem like the nicest people.”
She looked so happy that Dunai laughed softly and ruffled her hair while Connor and Riya smiled softly at her. Tom just rolled his eyes while Jade raised her eyebrow and Benji looked confused, but he smiled nervously and nodded as he stood next to the chair. She giggled at him as Jade stood with them, looking bored. She leaned against the chair, her gun resting against her shoulder while Benji fidgeted with his gun and Fiore was playing with a stick and the flag, her big eyes sparkling before she spoke up.
“I’m glad you guys are so nice to me! My other team was so mean to me except for Mr. Ren! The others were so cold to me and just ignored me when I tried talking to them! They were such bullies!”
Jade raised her eyebrow, obviously not believing Fiore but not saying anything. The rest of the purple team believed her story immediately though and were immediately fussing over her. Benji gently rubbed her head and Dunia hugged her before Tom snapped at them.
“Instead of spending our time comforting her right now, maybe we need to get going and try to get the other team’s flag. We can comfort Fiore more later.”
He received a nod from Dunia and Riya kissed Fiore’s nose before she nodded too, Connor straightening up to follow them. As they ran off, Jade glanced down at Fiore and noted the look of excitement and slight malice in her eyes, causing the older woman’s eyes to narrow.
- - -
Confessional: Jade
She looked suspicious as she twirled her curls around her finger, her nose wrinkled slightly.
“Marissa was very kind to me on the bus and seemed to be the kind to be gentle with kids. I doubt that she would bully a little girl by ignoring her. Besides, Fiore had some pretty clear malice and she seemed way too excited that we’d be comforting her. I don’t trust her one bit.”
- - -
At the teal team spot, Ren was sitting on the chair while Ara stood next to her, Alec looking bored as he stood with them. He noticed how Ara kept glancing at Ren, her dark eyes filled with interest as she did. He raised his eyebrow at her as she leaned on her gun, looking happy to be near Ren. He ignored her though and placed the flag in the dirt next to the chair before leaning back. Alec decided to speak up finally.
“Why are the two of you on this show?”
Ara stared at him for a second before smiling widely and placing her finger over her lips, giggling as she did.
“That's my secret, Alec. Maybe you'll find out eventually, maybe not.”
He raised his eyebrow before Ren said, “I'm on the show for my family. My Mami needs money so that she doesn’t lose her shop. It’s her only source of income after my Papi left. I refuse to let her lose her shop.”
Ara stared at them wide eyed but he relaxed into the chair slightly. Before she could ask anything, Alec suddenly pointed his gun up behind the chair, making Ren and Ara look behind it to see Riya staring at them wide eyed. She looked awkward before Alec shot at her, narrowly missing her. She ran back but when they turned, their flag was gone and Tom was seen running. Alec cursed and chased him, tackling Tom and wrestling him for the flag. Tom ripped the flag from Alec and threw it to Dunia, who ran as fast as she could.
- - -
With the Purple team, Fiore was playing with the “flag” while Jade and Benji looked carefully around before they saw James and Marissa raise their guns and shoot at them. Jade dodged as Benji got shot in the face, making Fiore squeal loudly in fear. She wrapped her arms around the flag and screwed her eyes shut before Marissa came over while James shot at Jade and gently took the flag from the little girl, making Fiore look shocked as she began to reach for the flag to take it back. Marissa gently pushed her hand down before turning and running as Jade and Benji recovered from James' attack. Benji immediately checked on Fiore as Jade went to follow Marissa before James tripped her, sending her into the dirt. She cursed as the camera cut to Marissa and Dunia arrived at the podium at the same time.
They slammed the flags into the stands and Trevor examined them before he said, “Marissa, tough luck but that flag is a fake! The Purple Team wins!”
Marissa looked shocked before she looked at the flags and realized the one that she had brought was on a wooden pole with a rough looking purple fabric on a wooden pole while the one that Alec had brought was a soft looking teal fabric on a thin, metal pole. The camera zoomed away to show Fiore kicking her feet while she held the real flag for the Purple Team up in the air, waving it with a happy giggle. Benji gently patted her head and stroked her hair softly, making her beam with delight. She leaned into his touch before he picked her up.
- - -
Confessional: Fiore
She was smirking widely as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“The Teal Team didn’t want me on their team? How does it feel to be outsmarted by a little girl?”
She started laughing as the camera cut out.
- - -
The Teal Team was sitting at their campsite, all looking disappointed about their loss. Marissa was tugging on her braids while Jake held his head in his hands. James looked annoyed while Ara had slumped over pout and Ren was laying on his back on the ground.
Rosa looked around before she slowly said, “Well, we might be able to do better if we trust each other, so why don’t we go around and talk about ourselves a bit?”
She received some raised eyebrows before Marissa said, “Well, that’s actually a pretty good idea. I can start, I guess.”
When she received nods, she began to speak.
“My name is Marissa Xulu, I’m 22 years old, and I plan to join the army after the show. I have two older brothers and I’m the youngest of three kids.”
Rosa looked happy that her idea was being taken seriously as Alec began to speak.
“My name is Alec, I am 28 years old, and I have a young son named Daniel. I plan to go to college after this show for my psychology degree.”
He noticed Rosa beam with delight as she clasped her hands together, obviously excited. He raised his eyebrow before Rosa began to introduce herself.
“My name is Rosa Maria Rivera, but just call me Rosa! I’m 18 years old and I have a little daughter named Sofia! She’s my entire world.”
She didn’t notice the shocked or concerned looks from her teammates.
Jake shook his head before he said, “Well, I guess I’ll go next. I’m Jake Hamilton… Um… I’m 25 years old and I… don’t really have much to say honestly.”
He looked awkward before James draped his arm over his shoulder with a wide smile and began to introduce himself.
“I’m James Costa, @JamesCosta on Tiktok and Instagram. I’m 23 years old and I’m from Brazil.”
Jake looked at James’s arm with a confused look before Ara spoke up with a smirk.
“My name is Ara Kwon! I’m 18, my birthday was two weeks ago, and I plan to go to college for business!”
She seemed to glance at Ren but he ignored the look as he began to talk.
“I’m Ren Moraga, I’m 21, genderfluid so I don’t really care what you refer to me as, and I’m a graphic designer!”
They grinned widely before they felt Ara lean against their side. He looked down at her and she smiled up at him sweetly. He awkwardly patted her head then looked at the others as if wondering if he was too obvious they were allies. Marissa looked at her allies but Rosa was now chatting with Alec about her daughter, getting him to talk about Daniel while Jake and James were quietly talking.
- - -
Confessional: Marissa
She was smiling softly.
“I like this team. They’re all pretty nice, but I know I’ll have to vote them out if I want to win.”
- - -
The purple team were gathered around their fire, Benji holding Fiore gently on his lap and stroking her hair before Tom spoke up with a smile clear in his eyes.
“That fake flag was very smart, File. I’m impressed.”
Fiore immediately giggled and stuck her tongue out slightly before she said, “Miss Jade and Mr. Benji gave me the idea!”
Dunia beamed now and reached out to pat Jade’s shoulder, making the woman tense slightly as the witch said, “Well, I’m proud of you three! Without your idea, we wouldn’t have won.”
Riya nodded rapidly and clapped as she said, “Yeah! The sleeping bags and tents should be very comfortable!”
Connor gently wrapped his arm around Riya’s shoulders, making her giggle as she leaned into him. Benji and Jade were both staring at Fiore, Benji looking slightly confused while Jade’s expression was unreadable.
When the little girl realized, her big eyes widened and she stretched before hugging Benji and saying, “I’m getting sleep. I wanna go to sleep.”
When she didn’t get off Benji’s lap, he understood that she wanted him to truck her in so he walked over to the tent with her, disappearing inside with Jade following soon after. Connor and Riya were quietly talking again while Tom disappeared into the forest, which didn’t miss Dunia’s eyes. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she stood up to follow him. She paused though as she got close to the edge of the trees and stepped back as she seemed to realize just how dark it was. She immediately looked annoyed and sighed.
- - -
Confessional: Dunia
“That Tom man is really odd. I might have to cast a spell on him to find out what he’s up to.”
- - -
Emily and Trevor stood at the bus stop, both grinning.
Emily said, “And with that, nobody has been eliminated and 14 people remain! Who will be the first person eliminated? Stay tuned to find out!”