Chapter Sixteen Hell Is Having to Be Vulnerable
Chapter Sixteen
Hell Is Having to Be Vulnerable
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
I jolt awake, flailing around in my makeshift bed on the floor until someone pulls the blanket off my head.
I look up blearily at Daniel. Even though it’s still dark out, he somehow looks refreshed and put together, with his hair swooping over his eyes just so. It’s infuriating.
At some point during the night, the power must’ve come back on, because the intricate gilded chandelier at the center of the room is once again blazing with light.
“Good morning, darling,” he says. I can barely hear him over the ringing of the bells.
“What is that noise?” I shout back.
“If I had to guess, I’d say the producers decided to interrupt our beauty sleep,” Daniel says. Then he crouches down, smiles warmly at me, and brushes the hair back from my face ever so gently. “Not that you need it, sweetheart. You’re gorgeous.”
My stomach flips. I’ve never seen Daniel act this way—I mean, not to me. My mind does a speedrun montage of everything that happened last night. Why is he caressing my face like that? And did he just call me sweetheart ? I’m not against it, but the way he’s looking at me, I have to wonder if he’s been abducted by aliens and given a brain transplant.
But as I search for a response, I realize that his smile looks just the tiniest bit forced. His gaze darts to the right, and yep, there’s a camera pointed right at us. Apparently the crew is here to capture the chaos of a bunch of exhausted couples waking up at the crack of dawn.
“Darling,” Daniel says again. “Are you with me?”
Crap. I need to sell this moment for the cameras. The other couples are already suspicious of us, especially Dominic and Zya. But I’m too tired to come up with the right thing to say. I lean in and kiss Daniel.
Our lips connect, and at first he stiffens. I make to pull away, but then he relaxes into it, wrapping his arms around me and deepening the kiss. This isn’t the warm, familiar feeling of kissing Chase. It’s more like holding a live wire, every part of my brain screaming that this is Daniel Cho who’s swiping his tongue across my lips and pulling me back into my nest of blankets. I curl my fingers in his shirt and feel him groan, the sound reverberating through me. All I want is to keep kissing him, keep feeling his body on mine, keep pressing into him until he does more than slot his knee between my legs.
But then Daniel pulls away. He rests his forehead against mine, and our breathing mingles together as I come back to myself—and realize that the cameras have captured everything. Right, that was what this was all about.
I’m finally awake enough to know what to say. I tuck my hand into Daniel’s and look at him with an expression that I hope is sufficiently sweet and loving. “Whatever we’re doing today, I know we can win—together.”
“That’s the Slayer I know,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. I feel my cheeks heat, and this time, I don’t will the blush to go away.
—
In short order, we’re hustled out of the villa and taken on a ten-minute trek down to the beach, where a massive wooden structure has been erected. The walls of this structure are easily thirty feet tall and are painted with a variety of colorful symbols. We pass by one of the entrances, and a quick peek inside confirms that our challenge involves a labyrinth.
Dawn Taylor is striking a pose at the top of the structure. Despite the early morning chill, she’s in a bright-orange leather bikini with sparkling spikes on the cups, like she’s auditioning for a role in a glitzy remake of Fury Road.
“Welcome to the Wrath Challenge!” she shouts, and pyrotechnics shoot off behind her, lighting up the dark sky. “Babes, I hope all of you are well rested.”
We’re not.
“It’s time to put your love to the test. Love is patient, love is kind, blah blah blah. The truth is that love is easy when everything’s going right. But what about when everything around you is going to hell? Well, you’re about to find out.”
A crew member ducks past the cameras and puts down a giant treasure chest.
“For the Wrath Challenge, each couple must navigate my infernal labyrinth…but I’m not making it easy. One of you will be blindfolded, and one of you will have your hands tied behind your back. Communication and cooperation are the name of the game here. The first couple that escapes the labyrinth will win the chance to get hot and heavy in a luxurious hot tub date. The last couple to finish is, well, you know the drill. Have fun…and try not to lose your cool.”
Dawn Taylor blows a kiss, and we’re off. Noah and Dominic race over to the treasure chest, jockeying to be first. Dominic shoves Noah roughly out of the way and wrenches the chest open. Inside is a stack of blindfolds and coils of rope.
“Dominic, you’ve got to listen to me if you take the blindfold,” Zya insists, trying to grab his arm and stop him from putting one on, but Dominic just brushes her off.
“You should wear the blindfold,” I say to Daniel when he comes back with our supplies.
“Yeah?” he asks. “Go on, let’s hear it. I’m sure you’ve got a list of reasons.”
“You know me so well,” I say sweetly. “Number one, I think it’s safe to assume that the labyrinth will involve some physical challenges. And even without your sight, you’ll be better equipped to tackle it if your hands are free. You’ve clearly got more upper body strength than I do.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“It’s an objective fact. Don’t let it go to your head,” I say. “Plus, you’re about five inches taller than me, which gives you an additional physical advantage. Number two, I’m better at giving instructions than you are.”
“And how do you know that?” he asks.
“I’m a teacher,” I remind him. “And number three, you’re still healing from getting burned. Having your hands tied behind you would probably stress your wound.”
He raises an eyebrow. “I’m sore, sure, but I don’t think being tied up will necessarily be any harder than whatever I’ll have to do blindfolded.”
“Number four, I just really don’t want to be blindfolded,” I tell him.
Strategically, it makes sense for me to give the instructions. But honestly, I just hate the thought of groping about, unable to see where I’m going. The idea of giving up that control, trusting someone else to tell me where to go and what to do—it’s enough to give me hives.
“Fine by me,” Daniel says. “I can take the blindfold.” Once we have our blindfold and rope, he makes quick work of tying my hands behind my back. His touch is gentle but sure.
“I hope that was as good for you as it was for me,” he says, putting his blindfold on. I laugh, and it loosens the knot of anxiety that’s been lodged in my throat since the start of the challenge.
Then it’s time to enter the labyrinth. Pair by pair, each of us are led to a different entrance.
“Babes, it’s time!” Dawn Taylor’s voice booms from a megaphone. “Get ready…get set…and go!”
On her mark, Daniel and I venture into the labyrinth. It’s not much darker inside than it is outside. Although the labyrinth is open to the sky, the early-morning sunlight streaming in is half blocked by the towering walls on all sides. The crisscross of scaffolding above us serves as catwalks for the camera crew. I spot Lex up there, along with a squadron of camerapeople following along as we navigate.
Before us, the path is illuminated by electric torches that cast a warm, flickering glow over everything, creating a haunting atmosphere. It feels like we’re adventuring archeologists traversing unexplored catacombs. Or, you know, like we’re in line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.
The crew must’ve spent weeks constructing this labyrinth before we arrived on the island. I feel bad for the set designers—the labyrinth is an incredible set piece, but it didn’t fare well in the storm. I can see where some planks from the catwalks have fallen and paint has been washed away.
Making our way through the labyrinth is slow going. The packed sand paths have transformed into long trenches of mud. Our shoes squelch as we walk—or, at least, as I walk. I turn back to see Daniel with his hands outstretched, tentatively edging forward. We don’t have time for this.
“Daniel, reach out in front of you,” I say. I maneuver so that my bound hands are in front of him, and he takes them.
We continue slogging through the mud like this until we make it to the first obstacle. A space has been cleared, and on the floor is a mound of huge blocks. Letters are painted on each block. Gaps have been cut into the wall, clearly designed to hold the blocks. Above the gaps is a riddle.
“It’s a giant word puzzle,” I say, my mind already racing to come up with a strategy. “There are these big blocks here, five in total. It looks like we’re going to have to slot them into the wall to spell something to answer the riddle.”
“Gotcha. Where are the blocks?” Daniel lets go of my hands and starts feeling around—and accidentally puts his hand on my face.
“Hey!” I headbutt Daniel’s hand and he loses his balance, pinwheeling his arms before landing flat on his butt.
“Sorry! Sorry,” Daniel says as he struggles to his feet.
I glance up to see the camera crew and Lex up on the scaffolding, and sure enough, they’ve caught everything. I can tell Lex finds it hysterical, because they have their hand over their mouth so they won’t ruin the audio quality.
I point Daniel to the blocks, and he attempts to lift one. “Geez, these are heavy. Good thing I work out,” Daniel says, flexing.
“Good for you,” I snort. “Okay, the riddle is: What has two hands, two eyes, and four legs?”
“A centaur?” Daniel guesses.
“We have to spell the answer with the letters on the blocks,” I say, surveying the scene. “Let’s see, we’ve got AL, EL, DA, NI, and ICE.”
“Think it has something to do with Dante or the Inferno ?”
I shake my head before I realize that Daniel can’t see me. “Maybe. I wouldn’t bet on it. I think we’re pretty far from the source material here.”
“Any other clues around here? Anything you see that could be a hint?”
I look around. “Nope. There’s the riddle on the wall, but that’s about it. The riddle’s been painted in red, but it’s sort of faded and peeling off, probably because of the storm.”
“What color is the paint on the blocks?” Daniel asks.
“It’s red, like the riddle,” I say. I look from the wall to the blocks on the ground. “Except the paint on these blocks is bright red, like it’s new.”
That could mean anything. Maybe the blocks weren’t stored outside, or maybe someone thought to throw a tarp over them. Or maybe the blocks were painted just moments ago. The paint looks fresh, and the letters look a little slapdash, as if someone were rushing through it.
My jaw drops. “It’s us! What has two hands and two eyes and four legs? Alice and Daniel.”
“Because I’m blindfolded and you’re tied up,” Daniel says.
“Exactly. I bet once they knew which entrance to the labyrinth we were stationed at, they painted the letters.”
At my direction, Daniel heaves the blocks into their slots, one by one. The moment we finish, one of the walls to our left shifts with a grinding rumble. From where we’re standing, I can see Freya and Anton laboring to move the wall, but the camera captures it at an angle where it looks like the wall is moving on its own.
After another slog through the mud, we make it to the next challenge. A gleaming ornate key hangs above a vine-covered wall.
“This one’s pretty straightforward,” I say, taking it all in. “We’re in front of a fifteen-foot climbing wall with a key at the top, and there’s a door we have to unlock.”
“Climb the wall, got it.” Daniel steps around me and onto the crash pads laid out by the wall. He reaches out to touch the wall. “Ow! What was that?”
“Sorry,” I say. “Forgot to mention. The wall is covered in spiky vines.”
“I thought you said this would be easy!”
“I said it would be straightforward,” I say. “As in, our objective and how we accomplish it is clear. I never said it would be easy. Now put your hand on your nose.”
“Is this a prank?” he asks. “Because as much as I love a good shenanigan, I don’t know if this is the time.”
“Just do it.”
“All right, I trust you,” Daniel says, and I know he’s just saying it for the cameras, but my mind repeats it back to me like it means something. I trust you.
“Now straight out from where your hand is now, that’s where the first handhold is. It’s like a little rubber ledge the size of your hand, the kind they have on rock-climbing walls. So just reach straight out by about a foot.”
Daniel doesn’t hesitate, immediately reaching out and grabbing onto the handhold.
“Got it,” he says. “Now what?”
“There’s another one about forty-five degrees up and to the right, one foot from the first one,” I say.
With that, he has enough leverage to lift himself up. I continue navigating him along the wall, and he manages to hoist himself up without too much trouble. Even though it turns out that Daniel is great at climbing, I try my best to pick the easiest moves so he won’t aggravate his burns. At the top, he gropes about in the air as I shout directions, and finally he pulls the key free.
“You did it!” I cry.
Daniel puts the key into the lock and the door swings open with a click. Once Daniel is back down, we step through into the next part of the labyrinth.
What I see on the other side makes my heart sink. In large letters painted on the wall are the next set of instructions.
“ One can see and one can do. Now it’s time to wear the other shoe. Blindfold off, hands free. Time to switch which one you’ll be. ” I groan. “We have to switch.”
I take off Daniel’s blindfold. He blinks as his eyes adjust to the light.
“Whoa,” he says, taking in our surroundings for the first time. “The writing on the wall feels a little serial killer, doesn’t it?”
“No comment.” As much as I don’t want to, I push my hands toward Daniel. “Untie me.”
Once I’m free, I tie the blindfold loosely around my head, pushing it up so I can tie Daniel up.
I try to be gentle. “Is this okay? Does your side hurt?”
“Nah, I’m fine,” Daniel says, shrugging it off, but I can see him wincing.
“I’m sorry,” I say.
Daniel laughs. “Slayer, don’t worry about me. It’s too weird. You’re going to scare me.”
I laugh too, and that carries me through the terrible moment of pulling my blindfold on. I take a moment to adjust to the sudden and complete darkness.
“You good?” he asks.
“Let’s get this over with,” I grit out. I hate this. I want to tear off the blindfold and run out of here. Then Daniel takes my hand and squeezes it. When my foot catches on something, he’s able to steady me before I can even begin to lose balance.
“I’ve got you,” Daniel murmurs, quiet enough that I almost don’t hear it.
“Where are we going?” I ask, desperate to distract myself. “I need information.”
“You’re not missing much,” Daniel says. “We’re walking through a narrow hallway. I’m making sure you don’t bump into the walls, but if you reach, you can feel it.”
I touch the wall briefly, run my finger along the smooth wood, and it helps.
“Turning,” he says.
I hate this. “How did you make this look so easy?” I grumble.
“It wasn’t easy,” Daniel says. “But I trusted you to guide me.”
There it is again. Trust. Daniel trusts me.
“You didn’t think I was going to run you into a wall?” I ask.
“Well, no, because that would be detrimental to our success as a team,” Daniel says. “And I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. We might’ve spent high school on opposite sides, but you were always an honorable opponent.”
That’s true. And if I’m being fair, Daniel was always an honorable opponent in turn.
“I keep thinking I’m going to crash into something or fall on my face,” I admit.
“I wouldn’t let that happen to you,” Daniel says, his voice low. There’s something comforting and strangely intimate about hearing his voice when I can’t see anything, and the only connection I have to the rest of the world is through his touch. It makes me want to keep talking, for better or for worse.
“I know,” I say. “It’s just that I hate relying on other people. If you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself. That’s how I was raised. And I don’t trust just anyone to have my back.”
“But I’m not anyone. I’m Daniel Midas Cho ,” he says. I don’t have to see him to know that he’s directing a shit-eating grin at me.
“All the more reason to distrust you,” I declare.
I’d thought I could trust Chase because I had him all figured out. But it turns out, I’d been wrong on both counts. For a moment I wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d dated Daniel instead of Chase. As much as I’m loath to admit it, I have a feeling he would’ve been a good partner. In high school, he was the guy who showed up fifteen minutes early to every competition in a freshly pressed suit and somehow managed to charm all the parents and teachers. And from what I’ve seen of him on the island, he’s still that guy. He takes care of the people around him, and he steps up when something needs doing.
I return my focus to putting one foot in front of the other. Daniel directs us around another corner and then stops abruptly, his grip tightening—but it’s too late. I pitch forward and bring him down with me. We end up in a heap together in the mud.
“Shit! I’m sorry,” he says, doing his best to pull me to my feet with his bound hands. “We turned and then we turned again and…there’s a drop-off here. And a slime pit.”
“A slime pit,” I repeat.
“Yep, the slime’s neon green, in case you’re wondering. There’s a pillar at the end of the pit and at the top is a rope with a handle. I’m going to guess that one of us has to go into the pit, climb the pillar, and pull on the rope to lower the drawbridge so that both of us can cross over.” “And I have to go in the pit,” I say as I picture what’s before us. “Because I’m the only one who can climb the pillar.”
“If it’s any comfort, the pit isn’t that deep. Maybe five feet.”
“Great. Fantastic. Amazing.” I face the pit, or where I think the pit is. Daniel gently turns me slightly left.
I take a deep breath and ease myself into the pit, and immediately, it sucks me in. Ugh. The slime oozes over me as I sink into it, my shoes slipping as I struggle to find purchase on the floor of the pit. When I’m finally standing, the slime comes up to my shoulders. My eighth graders would love this, but personally, this is my worst nightmare.
“Just go straight!” Daniel calls out. “You’ve got this.”
I’m still not over how surreal it is for Daniel to be cheering me on, instead of his own teammates. His voice has always carried during competition, loud and brash and confident. Once upon a time, I found it grating. I resented that he and his teammates were always hyping each other up, while I had to single-handedly drag my own team to victory, with only Cindy there to root for me.
But now, I don’t know. It’s nice.
“Stop!” Daniel shouts, and I try to, but end up splatting forward into the slime. Yech. “Okay, reach out directly in front of you. There are handholds on either side of the pole. Use them to climb up, and be careful. You’ve got about ten feet to go.”
I reach out and the handholds are exactly where Daniel said they’d be. I heave myself up and out, and the slime makes a gross sucking sound as it reluctantly releases me.
I pull myself up, one rung at a time. Daniel shouts encouragement. At one point, I suspect he breaks into a song and dance routine.
“Alice, you can reach the rope now. It’s just above your head!”
I wave my hand above my head, and once I feel the rope hit my hand, I grab it and yank. There’s a raucous crashing sound and the whoosh of something falling past me.
“That was the bridge!” Daniel calls. “You can climb back down now, but it’s probably faster if you jump.”
The seconds are ticking by, and I can tell that it’s going to take me way too long to climb down the pole. I think of Daniel, how sure he sounded when he said he trusted me. Everything is screaming at me not to jump, but we’re in a race against the clock and the other couples. If I want to stay in the game, I have to do it. I have to trust Daniel.
I turn around, take a deep breath, and jump.
The slime welcomes me with a horrible squiiiiiisssshh. I flounder for a moment, but then I hear Daniel shouting directions.
“A little to your right! Just follow the sound of my voice,” he calls.
Wading through the slime as fast as I can manage, I make my way back to Daniel, who guides me to another rope that I use to pull myself out of the pit.
“You all right, Slayer?”
I nod. I’ve lost my left shoe, but I’ll deal with that later. Right now we need to get out of here.
Daniel takes my hand. It squelches in a way that is distinctly not romantic. “Now we run.”
He leads me across the bridge and through a series of twists and turns. I’m almost crushing Daniel’s hand now as we hurtle through the darkness, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Then we come to a stop.
“Hey, open up!” Daniel shouts.
I hear the rattle of a door. Together, we step over the threshold.
“Drop your blindfold!” someone says. I tug it off, and for a moment the light is too bright for me to see anything.
“Are we in time?” I ask, panting. “Did we make it? Did we get eliminated?”
My eyes adjust, and I can make out Dawn Taylor in front of me, with everyone—Peter Dixon, the camera crew, the producers, Lex—surrounding us in a semicircle.
“Eliminated?” Dawn Taylor holds out two glasses of champagne. “You not only survived my Wrath Challenge, you won!”