Chapter 15
Mara
Today was the day of their second challenge.
But Mara’s mind was on last night. They made it to camp right before the sun set.
They set up Vaelor’s tent quickly. It was a tight squeeze getting both of their beds set up since the tent was designed for mostly one bed.
Afterwards they ate dinner by the campfire.
The two Bestials were at it again. By request, the male set his tent further away from the others so that their… activities did not keep the rest of the players up.
Blaine was flirty as ever.
“Have you visited New York?” he asked.
“Once. Have you?”
“A few times. But I prefer Las Vegas.”
“My father and I have visited Nevada. We went camping in the desert.”
“I would have taken you to one of the big suites in a casino and showed you the time of your life.”
“I enjoyed the trip with my dad.”
Blaine started into another story about a trip he went on, the games he played, the women he slept with.
Mara kind of tuned him out a bit. Her eyes were on Vaelor.
He was sitting on the other side of the fire.
It looked like he was talking with the Lythos and the Sorian.
What were their names? Estos and Vor? The Cyborg, Blaine’s partner, was zoning out or recharging, whatever he did.
The Rasilian and Slurchan, once again, were nowhere to be seen.
She would kill to know what that conversation was about. Vaelor hadn’t talked to anyone but her since the start of the games. It was sad to admit that she was a little bit jealous.
“So what do you think?” Blaine asked.
She didn’t hear what he was saying. “Sorry, what?”
“I asked if after the games, maybe I can come visit you in San Francisco.”
“Oh. Um. I don’t know. Maybe.”
“No pressure. Do you want another cup of hot laza?”
She learned that the hot laza was a form of coffee that the aliens liked. Mara could only drink half a cup at a time because it was extremely strong.
“I think I’ll go to bed.”
“Sweet dreams.”
She went to the tent and climbed into her bedding. But all she did was stare over at Vaelor’s empty one. This was ridiculous. Despite her tossing and turning, she did eventually go to sleep.
The next morning, she woke up to find that Vaelor either never came back to the tent or he got up early and left her there. She was both frustrated and irritated. Was he ignoring her on purpose? Why did it bother her so much?
She adjusted the temperature on her biosuit and got up for the day. It didn’t take her long to repack her bedding. Vaelor showed up when she was about to take the tent down.
“Go eat by the fire while I pack the tent.”
“Good morning to you too. Thank you, I will.” She stomped off toward the fire.
At least most of the players were still there and she hadn’t slept late. Still, why wouldn’t he come to the tent with her? They shared a moment yesterday. She felt like they were starting to really understand each other.
She took out her food pouch and heated up the contents.
She ate quickly, then cleaned up. The other players began to leave.
Blaine waved her goodbye. When she stood up and put her pack on, Vaelor was right next to her.
He moved so fast and silent that it startled her for a moment. Mara recovered quickly.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They left following the same path that the others took. The silence between them was uncomfortable. Someone had to break it.
“Did the Slurchan and Rasilian come into camp last night?” she asked.
“No. The others were discussing it. It wasn’t in the rules that the players had to share the official campsite each night, only that between challenges players were expected to take a twelve hour rest.”
“You seemed to have a lot to talk about with the Lythos and the Sorian,” she commented.
He grunted.
“Do you want to tell me what you discussed?”
“They talked at me, I listened.”
She waited impatiently for him to elaborate, but he didn’t.
“Well, are you going to tell me what they said?”
Vaelor had a hint of a smile. But spoke in a serious tone. “They believe the Slurchan and Rasilian are cheating in the games.”
“How?”
“They didn’t know. Which is why they were trying to get my opinion on the matter.”
“Do you think they are right?”
“I don’t trust anyone but you. I have spent no time with the other two players long enough to determine their nature. But it is a possibility.”
“They could have damaged my tent,” she offered.
“Possibly. I won’t rule anyone out at this time—including your admirer.”
“My what?”
“The other human. He constantly flirts with you, touches you.”
“Touch me?”
“He touches your hand, puts his hand on your back. He leaned in just last night to try to kiss you.”
“What? He did no such thing!”
“Mara, he tried to kiss you, but you looked away at something.”
She remembered the moment. Blaine was whispering something in her ear. But she turned to look for Vaelor. Mara didn’t let him know that bit of information.
“What else did they say?”
“I honestly don’t remember, I kind of sat there, nodded and tuned them out.”
She laughed. It was such a human thing to do and to know that this big strong alien warrior did that was just too funny. Some of the tension between them eased.
“What do you think the next challenge will be?” she asked.
“Not sure, but we will find out shortly.”
It didn’t take long for them to reach the challenge site. The small GSG technicians were running around, shouting out directions, loading equipment that was strange.
One of them came up to Mara and Vaelor. “Put your packs over there with the others.”
“No.” Vaelor growled out.
Mara was just as shocked as the technician. “Vaelor?”
Vaelor shrugged off his pack then took her pack and handed them to the stunned technician. “You will watch over our packs personally.”
The technician almost fell down with the weight of the packs. “But… but… that is not my job.”
“It is now. Our packs are to be watched by you alone. After the challenge I will find you. If you don’t have our packs, I will not be pleased.”
“Of course, sir.” The technician took the packs and stumbled away.
“Vaelor, was that necessary? I think you scared him or her.”
“Good, then he or she will make sure nothing happens to our packs.”
There was no arguing with him. She had to grudgingly admit that if someone was scared enough of Vaelor they would make sure the packs were not touched. Then they could concentrate on the challenge without worry.
Another technician called out. “Everyone into their circles. The show is about to start!”
Vaelor waited for her before stepping up to the circle.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and released it. “As ready as I will ever be.”
Then she did something she hadn't planned to do. “You were right.”
“About what?”
“The rest we took yesterday, gave me the energy I needed.”
Their eyes locked on one another. It was like everything else around them disappeared and it was just the two of them. The moment didn’t last long when it was suddenly broken.
Flashing lights almost blinded her as the camera drones flew in front of them. Whirring, stirring up the wind. It made her hair dance in the air. Then the Game Master appeared in another hologram.
“Welcome players and our amazing audience. Are you ready for the second challenge of the Galactic Survivor Games?”
The hologram of the audience roared and cheered.
“This challenge is a special one. We call it… the Thin Ice Bucket Challenge. The players must cross a field of Screech-Ice. It is ice that is so thin and pressurized it emits a high-pitched frequency that causes disorientation or migraines in certain species. The field is riddled with hidden crevasses that can swallow a fighter whole.”
The audience clapped with excitement.
“One player must guide the other while their partner is partially blind by their visor. Careful, the thin ice is susceptible to vibrations. One wrong step could mean instant death. How does the bucket fit in? Throughout the crevasses are buckets high above. Any vibrations can cause the buckets to release their contents of sharp ice thorns that can shatter the ice floor. The players have sixty seconds to decide which partner will lead and which partner will be blinded.”
Players began to argue with one another. She looked at Vaelor prepared to argue that her field and track experience would be helpful here. His brute strength wasn’t going to do the trick here. But he had a better argument.
“I am from an ice planet. This is my expertise. I know how to cross ice without breaking it. I have stronger senses and can hear if there is a crack.”
She hesitated for a moment, considering it.
“Do you trust me to lead you through this?” he asked.
That was the real question. Did she trust him?
She nodded her acceptance. “I trust you.”
The Game Master made the announcement. “Players who will go sightless, put on your visors now and take your places.”
Mara reached for the back collar of her biosuit where her visor was stored. She pulled it over her face. It was activated automatically with blinding lights. She could only see some shapes but couldn’t identify anything else.
“Let’s get this thing started. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go!”