Chapter Four
Talia stared at the blue rock sitting in her palm.
It was the exact shade of the tiles at Neptune Pool, three blocks from her childhood home in Longmont, Colorado.
She used to sprint laps there back in high school when her shoulder still felt bionic.
It was also the same kind of blue as the open Colorado sky the last time she’d lain flat on the grass at Hemenway Park in Boulder.
Her AirPods had pumped Can’t Be Tamed by Miley Cyrus straight into her brain while she mentally prepared for a double shift she was already dreading.
And then also, the blue of her eyeshadow she’d dabbled with in her twenties because she thought it made her brown eyes pop.
Blue had always been her lucky color. She could look at it and feel instantly happy. But when she searched for its match and found it resting on the palm of a perfectly manicured hand, she didn’t feel happy at all.
Shit!
Talia met Sabine’s gaze. The doctor’s expression dropped just slightly, but enough for Talia to spot the disappointment in her features. Talia wasn’t exactly ecstatic either.
In fact, the last person Talia wanted to pair up with was Sabine.
The woman barely smiled, and when she did, like earlier, it looked so forced that it was like someone was pulling the sides of her lips apart.
Then there was the fact that Sabine was a doctor.
Not that Talia didn’t love doctors; of course she did.
They saved countless lives. Including her dear grandmother, who had suffered a terrible stroke two years ago.
And just last year, Talia had gone to one to stitch up a cut on her hand after the glass she’d been washing shattered in the sink.
But Sabine seemed like the kind of doctor with an ego.
She probably did crossword puzzles in ink and had a rich vocabulary and went to some prestigious medical school on the East Coast. Probably Harvard or Johns Hopkins, and her schooling was probably funded by her wealthy parents.
Talia, on the other hand, barely scraped through high school.
Her parents were normal, middle-class parents.
She had two brothers and a sister. None of whom had gone to college.
Talia served drinks to tourists and businessmen who hid their wedding bands in their jacket pockets.
She talked too much. She once cried because a man showed her a photo of his cat curled around his shoe.
And she fainted at the sight of blood. Every single time.
Talia stepped toward her, and Sabine, for some reason, stepped back. Great. How were they going to work together if they basically repelled each other?
As much as she wanted to stomp off and sulk, she was determined to be the bigger person. So, she walked right past Isla and Taye, who were deep in conversation because they’d each picked a green rock.
“I can’t believe you did a photo shoot in the Louvre,” Taye exclaimed, slapping her palms against her cheeks. “What was it like? Did you see the Mona Lisa?”
“Of course I did,” Isla chuckled and flicked her dark brown hair behind her shoulder like a shampoo commercial. Talia, who had once auditioned for a shampoo commercial, would’ve walked straight out of the waiting room if she’d spotted Isla reading lines. Some people were just unfairly beautiful.
“Hi,” Talia said when she reached Sabine.
The first thing Talia noticed was the flower jibbitz on her Crocs.
The second was the scowl on her face. But Talia put that down to the glare of the sun.
It was terribly bright. “I guess we’re paired together.
” It wasn’t a guess but a fact. But everything about the way Sabine was standing tall with her shoulders back and chin high, made Talia second-guess herself.
“We are,” Sabine said plainly.
Talia drew a deep breath and bounced her arms against her sides. She was still holding onto the rock and wondered if she should try to swap with someone else. Was that allowed? Could she make an announcement declaring she wanted out of her pair?
She glanced around at the other pairs. Shakira was telling Amy about her audition tape.
Monique was showing Hanna a tattoo of a tiny half-moon with a swing hanging off it on her wrist. Talia had seen it earlier on the boat and thought it was whimsically cute.
Charlize and the redhead, Connie, were heading toward the flag: a tall, sun-yellow banner stamped with the Outlast Her logo in deep jungle green.
Each letter was overlaid with waves and thorned vines.
Beneath it was a large wooden crate holding the necessities.
A machete, maybe a pot, possibly some rice.
Definitely not flint, because that would be too easy.
Everyone looked happy. Or at least pretended they were. Talia had no choice but to do the same.
“I think we’re going to make a good team,” Talia offered, because what else was there to say.
She couldn’t think of a single thing, which was absurd, really, because Talia always knew what to say.
She had what you would call perpetual word vomit.
Her mind was a massive filing cabinet of conversation starters she happily unleashed at every social setting.
“Why would you think that?” Sabine asked.
“Umm...” Talia started, then racked her brain for a second before coming up with, “Well, I think we’ve both got unique skills to bring to the table.
You’re obviously highly qualified in your field.
And I am in mine.” She made a mean bourbon sour.
If she didn’t manage to win the million dollars, she considered creating a mixology course.
Or maybe she’d become a swim coach. She was still toying with the idea of going back to her old high school and applying for the job.
The principal, Mr. Star, said he’d open a position for her if she ever wanted it.
But that felt like a step backward in life and not forward.
“What is it that you do again?” Sabine asked, frowning.
Really? Talia thought. Hadn’t she paid any attention earlier?
“I’m currently a bartender,” she replied.
“Currently?” Sabine asked, raising a brow.
Talia nodded. A second ago, she had felt confident in her job.
Bartenders were basically glorified therapists.
But now, under Sabine’s scrutinizing gaze, she felt smaller than a cricket.
“I’ve also dabbled in a few other things,” she added quickly.
“I’ve waitressed at a steakhouse, worked the front desk of a hot yoga studio, and sold crystals at a farmer’s market for two summers in a row.
I’ve also done some acting. You might’ve seen me in a toothpaste commercial for Brightmint.
” She waited for Sabine to say yes, I remember you, but the woman’s face was as impassive as a corpse.
“I haven’t really nailed down what I want to do with my life. ”
“No kidding.”
Talia nearly gasped. Seriously. How blunt could one person be?
She almost looked to the camera operator hovering a few feet away to confirm that she had actually hurled that insult.
Instead, she refused to dignify the comment with a response and flicked it aside like it was a bug and said, “We should probably start on the shelter. Should we gather everyone together?”
She was just about to turn around and clap her hands together when Charlize beat her to it. Charlize was working as an accountant for a beverage company in Glendale. Her fun tidbit was collecting seashells and decorating all the mirrors in her house.
“Alright, ladies, I hate to be the one to take charge, but standing around chatting isn’t going to keep us dry tonight,” Charlize said.
There were a few snorts and nods of agreement. This was the Philippines, after all. Tropical meant heat, humidity, and the very real possibility of a downpour. Talia was expecting to get drenched. Preferably not while she was sleeping.
“We need to get the shelter going ASAP,” Charlize said. She pointed toward the jungle, where the tree line rose thick and unruly, a wall of tangled vines, towering palms, and glossy-leafed plants. “We need palm trees for roofing. Big fronds and something strong for the frame.”
Shakira stepped forward, and just like that, everyone turned to look at her.
Talia had to admit that the woman was a born leader.
She’d follow her into battle any day. “We’re six groups in total.
I’m thinking three pairs can focus on the shelter, two can do some foraging, and does anyone here have any experience making fire without flint? ”
Monique reluctantly stuck up her hand. “I can try.”
“Great,” Charlize shot. Then her eyes landed on Talia and Sabine. “Do you think you two could head inland to find fruit, or anything edible that won’t kill us?”
Talia nodded even though she didn’t want to go anywhere alone with Sabine. Or as alone as they could get with two camera operators on their tails.
Luckily, she didn’t have to, because Connie came charging back to the group, holding up an envelope. “We’ve got a challenge.” She ripped it open and pulled out a weathered-looking parchment. “Should I read it out loud?”