100
I stand in the clearing and play my part as much as I’m willing and able.
Surrounding me are fawning audience members flown in specifically to watch this, the final challenge in my season of the Games.
The director wants me to smile, chat and interact with them, but I can’t.
If this is how they find amusement, watching women endure hardships and die, then each one of them is a sick, sick fuck.
Starlen is playing up to them, chatting and signing autographs, but he stops and spins on his heel to face the camera when the director signals it's time.
“And...Action!”
“And here we are, Bachelor Universe, deep in the heart of forested Alaska, about to start the highly anticipated final contest of the Games. It’s cold here, and wet.
The snow hasn’t set in yet, but it will, and when it does it may be that only the warmth in the contestants’ hearts for their bachelor will see them through.
As you know, this season we’ve had all the romance, all the heartbreak, all the violence and intrigues we expected, and then some, but this, this trial will see the culmination of it all. ”
He spins to face another camera, the crowd shown cheering behind him.
“And here with me are the lucky winners of the VBG tipping competition. As you know, each year the bets run hot over who will win, who will lose, who will be eliminated, and in what order. The fans behind me have been the smartest and most astute; each one has pegged every elimination in order and subsequently won not just money, but the opportunity to stay in the same six-star hotel as the contestants and be here, on site, to start the contest. But they’re not alone, oh no, we know you’re all here with us too, in spirit, as you sit in your comfortable living rooms glued to your screens, not wanting to miss a moment of the action.
And why would you? Six contestants are going into this dark, dank forest carrying only the bare necessities for survival, and only three, three at most, will make it out alive! ”
He walks over to me as he’s talking, and a camera man hands me a microphone.
“And it’s not just the fans sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to see who’ll make it out of this challenge and into the Dreams and Desires Suites.
Right here is our one and only, the man himself, the most handsome, most debonaire and most popular royal vampire bachelor we’ve had on the Games in seasons. ”
He gestures to me, and I glare at him, but as usual he ignores my scowl.
“Viscount Speardon of Versailles Province, can you tell us now, as the Games head into their final days, where your head is at and perhaps, perhaps,” he raises his eyebrows up and down theatrically for the cameras, “where your heart is at?”
I clear my throat and address my words to the crowd, rather than him or the cameras.
“My head and my heart are aligned in knowing that what is about to happen in this forest is wrong.”
I clamp my lips shut and glare at the director as he shakes his head and motions to Starlen to say something.
“So wrong,” Starlen sighs with fake sadness, “such a tragedy to lose three of the world’s brightest and best. And yet, only one can remain standing in the end, ladies and gentlemen; only one can take on the coveted title of Viscountess.
And speaking of which, here come our beautiful contestants now! ”
“Cut!”
“Great, Great,” Gerry gushes. “Now, you wait for the girls to get here, and I’ll set them up in order.”
Starlen nods and spins to me, speaking low and off-camera.
“Viscount, you’ve been asked to say something about the fans and your contestants. Your reticence does both a disservice.”
“How so?” I scowl.
“The fans are holding up flags with your face on them. Your contestants are getting off a helicopter now with you held in their hearts. You need to at the very least acknowledge that they’re all here for you. After all, some are about to die fighting for your love.”
“Patter drips from your snake mouth like venom,” I snarl.
“I’ll say no more about this disgusting ordeal, and I most certainly will not acknowledge the sadists who’ve flown here to be closer to the carnage.
Push me and you’ll be continuing your commentary with broken arms — once you manage to retrieve them from your ass. ”
Shuddering, he turns from me to face the cameras once more as the contestants line up where the director has forced them to stand.
“And… Action!”
“And here are our lovely ladies, all rugged up and ready to face an arduous late Autumn Alaska and a forest filled with dangerous creatures — and I’m not even talking about their fellow contestants! But before I go on, let’s hear from these brave, beauties.”
He shoves his microphone into Claire’s face, and she glows with the attention.
“Tell us, Claire, tell your fans and supporters in Scotland and around the world just how you’re feeling heading into our final contest.”
“Sure,” she smiles at me before turning to beam at the audience. “I’ve always believed fortune favours the brave, and I know the Viscount has favoured me from the start. I’m already a winner, having won his heart. This contest will just be the cherry on the cake.”
“Fantastic,” Starlen smiles, shaking his head and giving the camera an ‘isn’t she wonderful’ look. “And speaking of cherries, how is our English rose feeling about this contest?”
Cherry raises her chin and plays fully to the camera.
“Well, you know, Clyde, I have to say firstly that I’m a bit starstruck standing this close to you.”
Starlen shakes his head, grinning, before nodding for her to continue.
“But not as struck as I am with the Viscount. I won the first date and the first kiss, and I know I’ve been first in his heart all along.
He may not show it, but he’s a kind, gentle darling, and he’s never wavered in his devotion, just like I won’t waver in mine, or in my determination to show him how I truly feel about him in every way in the Dreams and Desires Suites.
When I cross the line as the winner in this challenge it will be just another first for us. ”
I try not to laugh out loud and instead look across at Cat and Thorun where they stand whispering together.
All the others look quite separate, exactly as Claire said they were, and I can’t help but worry that she might have been right with all her predictions about who will take out whom in this challenge.
As if reading my thoughts, Cat looks up catching my eye and holding my gaze, her dark eyes considering me, measuring me as they always seem to do, and I nod at her, not breaking our connection.
“And what of our bloodthirsty Italian?” Starlen asks, interrupting us. “How do you feel going into this challenge?”
“Confident,” she shrugs, pulling her eyes from mine.
“And? Confident in what exactly?”
“Confident that at the very least,” she says quietly, giving him a hard look, “I won’t end up as one of your snacks.”
I snort back a laugh as he switches his attention immediately to another contestant.
“And how fares our outback entrant? Miranda, surely you can’t be bothered about this contest, after all everything in Australia wants to kill you.”
“True, Clyde,” she smiles widely, “I’ve come from a harsh land. But we don’t have bears, well, only the cute, cuddly kind, so I do worry about the Alaskan grizzly, not to mention the polar bears and the black bears. And the closest I’ve come to a wolverine is in Marvel movies.”
The crowd erupts into laughter, and she waits before going on.
“So there are some wilderness creatures that I’m sure will be challenging. But I know it’ll all be worth it at the end because there’s a wonderful bachelor who I’ve shared beautiful experiences with waiting for me at the altar.”
Starlen nods and walks to Silke.
“And how confident is our German environmental champion? Living in the woods must feel like going home to you, Silke.”
“Yes, I will be in my element,” she nods, “I camp regularly, I respect nature and nature respects me.”
“And what of your handicap?” he asks with mock concern. “How will your leg, still in a cast, affect your ability to reach the end? Are you worried you’ll become easy prey to either the creatures Miranda mentioned or your fellow competitors?”
“No,” she shrugs, “every one of these contestants has a handicap; some are just not so obvious unless you’ve spent time around them. I have enough knowledge and intelligence to ensure I will win this contest.”
I try not to smirk as I recall her previous comment that Thorun, Sona and Cat were all mentally challenged.
She goes on to give the usual claim that she’d made it this far because of a special connection with me, and she’s confident she’s going to win.
The only one who doesn’t make such a claim is the last to be interviewed.
“And what of our innocent Viking? A crowd favourite and always a long shot, but someone more than a few have put their money on winning,” he nods to the audience behind, several of whom murmur their assent.
“I’m scared,” Thorun says, looking directly into the camera. “I’m worried we’ll freeze to death, or get eaten by a bear or a wolverine, or killed by another competitor, or hurt in a random accident, or starve to death.”
“Of course you are, of course you are,” Starlen says sympathetically, turning to look into the camera with mournful eyes.
“These feelings are raw and special and totally understandable. Especially from someone who hasn’t prepared for the Games, who has no knowledge of what this competition is about, no skills and no special talents.
EXCEPT, he grins widely, “you must have all of this and more, Thorun of Iceland, because out of the millions of women who applied throughout the world, you were selected. Your sweet honesty now can only endear you more to your fans and to the bachelor standing before you. So warm yourself over the coming weeks with the expectation that you might just be the one who has stolen our bachelor’s heart.
Feast on the knowledge that you’ve outlasted and outplayed ladies who’ve lived and breathed this contest since they were infants, and defend yourself against every monster with the prospect of becoming a royal bride! ”
I notice as he goes on, hyping himself up more and more, that Cat is trying hard not to laugh, and I turn my back so she can’t see my expression in case she provokes me into laughing too, and we ruin the shot. The last thing I need is to endure them re-filming this crap.
Finally, as Starlen winds down his tone changes, and I spin back to hear the rest.
“So, now to the rules and the specifics of this challenge,” he says quietly, looking into the camera earnestly. “This season, the decision has been made not to allow weapons in the final trial.”
He holds up his hands as though he’s hearing silent interjections from the fans at home.
“I know this sounds counter-intuitive to the proposition that each contestant must eliminate another in order to win,” he says quietly, firmly, “but our bachelor deserves, indeed all our bachelors deserve, someone who can think outside the box. They need a woman who can show intellect in a survival situation, someone who can solve problems on the run and under pressure and who won’t just rely on the easy way out when times get tough. This rule will ensure exactly that.”
He turns to have his back once more to the on-site crowd, now ushered forward so they surround him adoringly.
“And now to the specifics; contestants will be dropped some distance from each other and must make their way to an endpoint located on their maps, some two hundred kilometres from their starting point. In between, there are designated drop spots. Reaching those first will be a game-changer for some, because each spot will hold a reward. That reward could be the difference between life and death in a trial of this length, because as we all know, this contest will take weeks. It could, and has in previous seasons, taken months, because the contestants must not only travel, but also survive for as long as they can in the harsh wilderness while hunting and being hunted by their fellow competitors. Find a competitor, take them out and reach the finish point. That’s all they have to do, Bachelor Universe, to win and potentially become Viscountess Speardon. ”
The camera zooms in for a close-up of each of the contestants before moving back to Starlen.
He pauses, and as if on some hitherto unseen cue, he and the crowd surrounding him shout, “Let The Games Begin!”