Chapter 5
Chapter Five
There wasn’t a snake in sight.
Well, there wasn’t anything in sight for me. Arnie stood behind me and pulled the blindfold tight as he tied a knot.
“Is that okay?” he asked.
“It’s fine,” I replied.
While technically it was fine—not too loose or too tight—the thought of being outside, stumbling around in darkness, already had my pulse quickening. I wasn’t a terribly competitive person by nature, but my anxiety always spiked whenever I had to compete physically. It was probably why I’d quit every sport I tried growing up. I couldn’t handle it.
“Thanks for doing this, Calla,” Arnie said for the hundredth time. “My claustrophobia really acts up in the dark. My head knows it’s just a blindfold, but my body thinks I’m trapped in a box.”
“It’s fine,” I insisted. Funny how me trying to comfort him was doing a halfway decent job of calming me down as well.
When Rita had shown up after breakfast and taken us outside, I’d been excited about the challenge. The grounds were stunning and, according to Brady, we’d only get to spend time out here during the challenges.
Any excitement I’d felt had dissipated the moment they’d brought out the blindfolds.
Arnie had tried to be brave at first, but as soon as the blindfold went over his eyes, he stiffened and started hyperventilating. I’d offered to take his place, which was how I became the only girl in the group who would be doing the sightless portion of the challenge. Eli, Grant, and Danny had all been quick to volunteer. The last I saw of them before darkness consumed me, they all looked composed and ready to wipe the floor with me.
“Alright,” Robert boomed loudly. He was the groundskeeper of the lodge, to whom we’d been introduced when we’d arrived. “Now that everyone is properly blindfolded, the rest of you can guide your partners over here and follow me.”
Shay and Brady had informed us that, while Rita would introduce challenges for the camera, Robert would be the one to go over any safety aspects of the events and be on hand to monitor everything. Which was a relief, considering Rita had arrived today in six-inch stiletto cowboy boots.
Arnie held onto my arm so gently I could hardly feel it as we took careful steps toward the sound of Robert’s voice. Ever since my revelation about Michael’s death at breakfast, he’d been extra cautious with me. His words were soft and his movements slow, as if I were a feral cat he was trying to rescue from a street corner. My toe hit a rock, causing me to stumble.
“Shoot, sorry, Calla.”
After only a few seconds we came to a stop.
“Are we here? What is it?” I asked .
“It’s kind of an obstacle course.” The other teams talked amongst themselves, but I did my best to tune them out and listen only to Arnie’s voice as he released my arm. Normally I’d be grateful, but right now the lack of contact made me feel like I was floating away into a void. I breathed in through my nose, savoring the fresh air. It had a chill to it, even though it was only early September. I breathed in again. This would have to ground me, since my sight couldn’t.
“Okay, everyone. Listen up.” Robert said. “Before Rita gives her spiel, I want to go over a few things. Make sure your helmets are tightly fastened. Make sure your knee and elbow pads are securely in place. Once you’re in the obstacle course, there will be absolutely no sprinting. You can move at a quick pace, but that’s it. And no messing with the animals.”
“Animals?” I hissed. But before Arnie could answer, someone shouted, “Action,” and Rita’s voice commanded our attention.
“Contestants! Today we will be working on our communication. Communication is the backbone of a strong relationship. Since you all are just getting to know each other, now is the perfect time to build this crucial skill,” Rita said.
As if stumbling around blindfolded was a better way to get to know someone than simply sitting down and having a conversation.
“One of you has been blindfolded, which means you’ll have to rely on your partner’s senses to get you through the maze in front of you. There are obstacles in your way, but you’ll have to work through them together. Tensions might get high, especially with everyone yelling all at once, so it’s on you to tune out the excess noise and listen for your partner.
“The first team through the maze will receive a special date night, where you’ll get to know each other better. As for the rest of you, your finishing order will determine the order in which you’ll choose your partners for the next challenge. You can stick with your current partners, or do a little swap.” There were hushed murmurs throughout the group. I wasn’t sure what everyone else was thinking, but I knew I couldn’t lose Arnie.
“Now, those who can see, I’ll give you a moment to prepare your partner,” Rita finished.
I felt a light touch on my arm.
“Okay,” Arnie said. I focused on his voice, even though the hurried words of the others were already filtering in. “It’s a relatively simple maze made of hay barrels. They only come up to about knee-height, so don’t go too fast or you could trip over one.” He paused, likely assessing the maze to figure out what else to tell me. “There are some obstacles too. I can’t quite make them all out from here, but one looks like a kind of seesaw. There are a few horizontal sticks you’ll have to duck under. A bunch of goats?—”
“Goats?” I exclaimed. “Robert wasn’t kidding. There are actually animals?”
“Yeah. They’re just standing there eating hay. Looks like you’ll have to go around them for the most direct route to the end.”
Great.
“Any other farm animals I’ll need to avoid?”
“That’s it,” he continued. “I’ll try to keep my instructions simple. Straight, left, right, duck. Just listen to me and we should be good.”
“You make it sound so easy when you’re the one who can see,” I said.
“Sorry about that,” I could hear the wince in his voice and I regretted sounding bitter. It wasn’t his fault he had a phobia .
“It’s fine, really,” I added, hoping I sounded friendlier this time. I couldn’t lose my only ally.
“Contestants, line up,” Rita called.
Arnie pulled me forward so that I was standing at what must be a starting line. I could feel large presences looming on either side of me. The one to my right felt particularly warm compared to the chill outside.
“Good luck, Calla.” The whispered words hung close to my ear and I recoiled a step, startled. It was Eli’s voice.
“How did you know it was me?”
He chuckled. “I can hear you breathing.”
“On your mark, get set, go!” Rita yelled.
“Straight! Straight!” Shouts came from behind us. Arnie’s voice barely carried over all the yelling.
I stepped forward very cautiously. The guys could hurry if they wanted to; I was taking this thing slow.
“Calla, stop!”
I stopped and waited for further instruction.
“Go left.”
I turned my body and took a few wary steps in that direction.
“Now go right.”
“Straight.” The shouts all came at once and I had lost Arnie’s voice again.
I yelped when someone ran into my backside. I nearly fell over, but caught myself just in time.
“Sorry.” It was Grant’s voice.
“Which way!” I tried to shout over everyone else.
“Left!” I finally picked out Arnie’s voice this time and pivoted left, continuing to take slow steps. He instructed me straight and then right before telling me to stop again.
“You’re at the seesaw!” he yelled. “Danny is coming in hot behind you.” I turned as if I could somehow see him .
“You need to speak up, Rachel!” I heard Danny bellow.
“I’m literally yelling. Use your ears!” she shouted back. “Go straight two steps, then stop.”
“Oof.” I staggered backward as something large bumped into me.
“Christ,” Danny said. “What was that?”
“That was Calla, you idiot,” Rachel yelled.
“Shit. Sorry,” Danny said to me. “Where the hell was my warning, Rachel?”
“You took three steps instead of two.”
They continued to bicker while I tried to ignore them and search for Arnie’s voice again.
“Danny is going for the seesaw. Just wait your turn,” Arnie shouted.
After a few seconds, Danny’s yells and curses moved farther away.
“Okay, it’s time,” Arnie yelled. “Take about ten steps forward.” I did as he said, counting each time I cautiously set my foot on the ground. At eight, I felt a piece of wood that creaked underneath my weight.
“Great, you’re there. Now walk slowly. Take two small steps. On the third step you’ll teeter to the other side, so brace yourself.”
I held my breath and did as instructed. When the seesaw shifted, my stomach dropped. Even though I had been warned, I let out a yelp.
“You’re good. You did it!” Arnie exclaimed. “You got this.”
Letting out a shaky breath, I took the last few steps to get off the contraption and back on solid ground.
“How much further?” I called, not sure how much more of this I could take. Surely there was a better way to practice communicating than this spectacle. Then again, that probably wouldn’t make good TV. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled as I thought of the camera guys who were more than likely trailing me right now for the best angle. Maybe I wasn’t ready to take my blindfold off just yet.
“You’re doing amazing, Calla. You’re almost there!”
In hindsight, it was probably a good thing Arnie and I were in our chosen roles. I’m not sure I had it in me to be as loud and as encouraging as he was.
“What now?” I could barely hear him over Trace and Sofia screaming over each other. We must all be close to the end, because I could feel the energy shifting.
“Right. Two steps. Yes! there you go!”
I followed his instructions, my nerves forgotten now that adrenaline had taken over.
“Now straight!” Arnie cried.
I quickened my pace, sensing the end was near.
“Wait, slow down.” I heard Arnie’s frantic cry a second too late. I barreled into a hard body before losing my footing. Strong hands gripped my forearms and stopped me from toppling backward.
“Whoa, there.” I recognized the voice as Eli’s instantly.
“Sorry,” I said, latching onto his forearm for a moment to catch my balance.
“Going pretty fast there. Trying to beat me?” I could hear the grin in his voice.
“I mean, isn’t that the whole point?”
I waited for him to release me, but his hands lingered around my arms. It felt like fire where he touched me. His warm breath hit my face and my whole body lit up like a Christmas tree. I hadn’t been this close to a man in years.
Was that sad?
Piper would say yes. Hence the entire reason I now found myself barreling blindfolded through a maze, attempting to put myself back out there.
“Eli, go. What are you doing?” Sofia’s voice rang through. “Turn around and go straight.”
Eli squeezed my arms lightly and whispered, “Good luck.”
Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel his absence as if I had just stepped out of a magnetic force field.
“Go, Calla. The coast is clear!”
Forcing my mind back into the game, I listened closely to Arnie as he guided me forward and to the right.
“Okay, now get on your hands and knees and crawl forward. There’s a beam blocking your path.”
“Are you serious?” I asked bitterly. But I followed his directions, knowing that the quicker I moved, the sooner I’d be out of here. As soon as my hand hit the ground, it sank in about an inch. I jerked it away.
“Mud?” I exclaimed in horror. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Shoot, my bad! I thought it might be better if you weren’t dreading it.”
I grumbled a few choice words before placing my hand back in the mud and moving my body forward.
They’d better provide complimentary laundry services after this.
“Duck your head! The beam is right there!”
I listened to Arnie and crawled forward a few more feet until the mud turned into grass beneath me.
“Can I stand now?”
“Yes! Great job!”
Climbing to my feet, I shook my arms out at my side, removing some of the excess wet mud. I sniffed myself, horrified to find that I now smelled like a barn animal. At least I’d run into Eli before this portion of the maze .
“That saved you a ton of time!” Arnie yelled. “Everyone else went a different way.”
“Why would they go another way?” I asked.
“Keep moving forward. Fair warning, there are a few goats in front of you. Everyone else is avoiding them, but just go straight and go slow.”
“Seriously?” I called.
“It’s just goats, Calla.”
I threw my hands out in front of me and waved them as I took cautious steps forward. Just goats, my ass. Easy for him to say from the sidelines.
“There you go, Calla. Just slow and steady.”
My hand brushed something solid and furry, and I screamed.
“Go around him.”
This was a far cry from the show I had signed up for. I had envisioned myself curled up on a leather sofa brainstorming my next outline, not sifting through barn animals, blindfolded, with only the words of a stranger to guide me. I winced as I felt along the goat’s body, working my way around him.
“There, there. Good goat,” I cooed.
“BAA,” it bleated loudly and I jerked my hand away, screaming again.
“It’s just a goat,” Arnie repeated.
“You get over here and pet it while you’re blindfolded then,” I snapped.
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“How many more are there?” I asked. Before he could respond, something hard jammed into my knee. “What the—” Another hard slam caused me to fall back on my butt.
“They’re attacking me!”
“Just get up and move! Hurry! There are only a dozen or so more. ”
My jaw went slack as I scrambled to my feet, crouching down and placing my hands in front of me like a shield. “A dozen!? Screw that, Arnie; I’m going the long way.”
“Fine,” he relented. I could hear the defeat in his voice as he gave me instructions to go back the way I’d come. I’d rather dive into the mud again than get knocked over by a goat any day.
I did my best to move as fast as possible, knowing we had fallen behind because of me.
“You’re almost there, Calla. Come on. A few steps forward.” Arnie’s voice was painfully close. So close it felt like I could reach out and touch him. I flung myself forward the last few steps and hit what must be Arnie’s outstretched arms.
“You did it!” he cheered.
Ripping my blindfold off, I had to blink a few times to adjust to the light. Arnie caught me when I stumbled backwards, and I allowed him to steady me as I oriented myself. Glancing around, I saw Rachel and Danny, and Trace and Grant, already done with the challenge. Eli was still in the maze, moving slowly, only ten feet from the finish line.
Sofia stood to our right and screamed at him. “Hurry up! How can you be going so unbelievably slow?”
“Are you seriously blaming me?” he yelled back.
“You’re the one out there,” she grumbled before shooting Arnie and me a glare. Clearly someone was a sore loser.
“I can’t believe we weren’t last,” I whispered to Arnie, not bothering to mask my excitement. My face fell when I remembered to look down at myself and took in my mud-soaked appearance. Judging by the barely dirty clothes of everyone else, Arnie was the only one who had sent a partner that route. I spotted the demon goats just left of the finish line. Several of them had climbed on the hay bales that made up the maze, while some stood around eating grass. Now that I could see them, they were almost cute.
Almost.
“It was hard to pay attention to the other teams when I was so focused on you,” Arnie admitted. “But it did seem like Eli and Sofia were struggling to communicate.”
He was right; Sofia was giving terrible instructions. I even caught her saying left when she meant right. Eli remained calm and carefully went through the motions before finally crossing the finish line a few moments later. He removed his blindfold and scanned his surroundings. His eyes lingered on me.
“Congratulations!” Rita cheered while walking over to us, several cameramen hot on her tail. Internally, I groaned at the thought of my grimy appearance being immortalized forever. If I didn’t find love on this show—which I definitely wouldn’t—this certainly wasn’t going to do me any favors.
She clapped her hands and stood in front of us as we all formed a line by the end of the maze. “You all made it through, despite the obstacles and communication difficulties. You all listened to your partners and you made it out.” She eyed Eli and Sofia. “Some better than others.”
“Whatever,” Sofia said under her breath.
“But at the end of the day, Rachel and Danny completed the challenge first, followed by Trace and Grant. Arnie and Calla had their struggles, but they still managed to finish third. Which makes Sofia and Eli last.” Rita pouted her full lips. “As you know, there are rewards for the winners of each challenge, and consequences for losing. The winning team gets a private date to get to know one another a bit better. Rachel and Danny, you’ll join me out here later tonight for a romantic evening.”
Danny cursed .
“Sounds more like a punishment than a reward,” Rachel said.
“You aren’t happy with your partner?” Rita probed.
Rachel crossed her arms and shook her head. “He’s hotheaded and a complete ass.”
“Me?” Danny exclaimed. “You’re the hothead. You always have to be right. You’re so stubborn.”
“Well, the lack of chemistry is a bit of a disappointment, since you two did win today’s challenge. But as the winning team, you’ll also get to make your first choice of partner before the next challenge. Ladies first, for the first partner swap. Rachel, you’ll be able to pick whoever you want.” Rita gestured to the rest of the women. “You’ll each pick your partners in the order you finished. You can choose to keep your current partner, or to switch.”
Rachel snorted. “I’ll definitely be switching.”
Arnie and I looked at each other with wide eyes, clearly thinking the same thought. We didn’t want to be partnered up with anyone but each other. Now we were left hoping that the others didn’t want us.
“Alright! Great job today, everyone,” Rita continued. “Go enjoy the rest of your day. Get to know each other. And make sure you pick the partner best suited for you, or this experiment isn’t going to work.”
The cameraman to her left swiped his hand across his throat and lowered the camera. Shay and Brady ran in from the sidelines. I hadn’t even noticed them hovering, but I supposed they were probably never far.
“Okay,” Shay barked. “That’s a wrap on the first challenge. Guys, come with us. We’ll get you set up for the first round of interviews. Then you’ll change and meet in the lounge. Girls, you stay put while we get them organized, then we’ll come get you for the second round of interviews. ”
Arnie gave me a small wave. “See you later.”
“See ya,” I said absent-mindedly, still concerned about the thought of us being separated.
Grant and Danny passed me as they argued about the technicalities of Danny’s win. Grant was claiming that Danny had pushed him at a fork in the path, and he would have won otherwise. Their competitiveness was further proof that I wouldn’t get along with either of them as partners.
Eli brushed past me. “Good job out there,” he whispered. “I thought I had you.”
“You’ll have to try harder than that.” I’m not sure where that confident answer came from, but I gave myself a pat on the back for it.
He chuckled and paused in his tracks. His clear eyes seared into mine and I tried not to let his attractiveness affect me. I made a mental note to dig up the old movies he’d been in when this was all over.
He sucked in a breath and glanced back at Sofia before returning his gaze to me. “Maybe if I had a better partner...”
“Eli, let’s go. We’re running behind schedule!” Shay called.
He gave her a thumbs up before backing away from me. “Let’s talk tonight,” he said.
I just stared at him, because what was I supposed to say to that? Was he implying we should be partners? Surely not, right? He had no way of knowing if we’d be any better together than he and Sofia. Before I could think any more of it, the other girls formed a semi-circle around me and started strategizing.
“I am one hundred percent done with Danny,” Rachel said. “We can’t be partners again. It’s exhausting.”
“Grant and I were a mess,” Trace admitted .
Panic rose in my throat. “But you both got first and second place,” I said. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”
Trace bit her lip. “Grant is just so full of himself. I guess I can keep him as a partner if I have to, but I really don’t want to deal with his ego again.”
“Well, you both better back off of Eli,” Sofia snapped. “He’s mine.”
“Big words coming from the last-place finisher,” Rachel said.
Sofia rolled her shoulders back. “He wouldn’t want either of you, anyway. You’ll regret it if you come between us. Eli and I could really have something.”
Sofia was really reaching here, but I wasn’t about to call her out on it. They had known each other for all of five minutes. And Eli didn’t seem all that excited about keeping Sofia as a partner, if his parting words to me meant anything.
“I think Arnie and I are working well together,” I said weakly. “I know we got third, but I really don’t want to switch.”
Sympathy shone in Trace’s eyes. “Of course. I won’t steal him from you if it’s going well.”
Saliva formed thick in my mouth as I tried to swallow it down. Her words should have been reassuring, but all I could think about was the intent behind them. She didn’t want to ruffle my feathers. Not after what I had revealed to everyone at breakfast—about Michael. They pitied me. Everyone always pitied me.
“What if we just switch?” Rachel asked, turning to Trace. “I can handle Grant’s ego. He’s a hell of a lot quieter than Danny.”
“I don’t know. Do you think Danny will be okay with that?” Trace asked. “He seems intense. I’m not sure I’m his cup of tea. ”
Rachel swatted away her comment. “Please. Danny needs someone like you. Your rainbows-and-sunshine attitude will soften his harsh edge.”
Trace still looked unsure. But after glancing at Sofia and me, she probably realized her options were limited. Pick Eli, and face the wrath of Sofia. Pick Arnie, and upset the poor, wounded girl with the dead fiancé.
“Alright,” she finally said. “It’s worth a shot.”