Chapter 6
We’re a somber bunch when we get back to our beach an hour or so later without the tarp or the immunity idol.
We all know that someone has to go home tonight, and nobody wants to be the first one to get voted out, least of all me.
I have a feeling that the next few hours are going to be very frantic, with everyone scrambling to make sure that their name doesn’t come up tonight.
Besides, I don’t doubt that some people already have an idea in their heads as to who should go home first. I’ve already decided that I don’t want to be the first one to throw out a name—if previous seasons are anything to go by, trying to get your way this early in the game is just as likely to backfire on you—so I’ll wait a bit and see if anyone comes to me.
I don’t have to wait very long, because I’ve barely taken five steps towards the shelter when Rhonda sidles up to me. “Ryan, would you mind walkin’ to the well with me?” she asks. “I don’t know about y’all, but I could use a drink after that challenge.”
I’m thirsty too, so I agree, although I have a strong feeling this is more of an excuse to talk strategy more than anything else. We collect everyone’s canteens, then set off down the trail towards the well, a cameraman walking slightly in front of us.
Rhonda waits until we’re out of earshot of the rest of the tribe before turning to look at me.
“I know we don’t have a ton of time before we have to go to tribal, so I’ll be blunt,” she says.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that there are some people in this world that I get along with, like you, and some that I don’t.
All else bein’ equal, I’d like to play this game with the former.
It’s gonna be hard enough dealin’ with the starvation and the lack of sleep and whatnot, and I don’t want to add to that stress if I can avoid it. ”
“That makes sense,” I reply. “Just for the record, I like you too. I certainly wouldn’t mind working with you.”
She accepts this with a nod and a smile. “Thank you, Ryan. I was hopin’ you’d say somethin’ like that. In fact, I think you and I—and perhaps a few of the others—could work well together, if’n we put our minds to it. In an alliance, I mean.”
Ah, there it is. “I could see that happening,” I say, choosing my words carefully. I’m not opposed to allying with Rhonda, but I’m not ready to commit to anything just yet. “Who were you thinking of voting for tonight?”
“Ain’t it obvious?” Her brows pinch together in an expression of distaste.
“The way I see it, on this tribe, there’s eight of us, you and me included, that work as hard as we can around the camp.
And on the other hand, there’s Ashley. Don’t get me wrong—she seems like a nice enough young lady, and maybe the dehydration really is gettin’ to her more than the rest of us.
” The corners of Rhonda’s mouth turn up in a sneer.
“But you saw what happened at the challenge today. She insisted on carryin’ that heavy box and then gave up halfway through!
Now, if nobody else had wanted to do that job, and she’d gotten stuck with it, I’d cut her some slack.
I sure as heck couldn’t have carried that box around like them boys did.
But she volunteered. She told us to trust her, and then she showed us we can’t.
And you know as well as I do that trust is the single most important thing in this game. ”
We reach the well just as Rhonda finishes, giving me a chance to think about how I want to respond.
I don’t disagree with Rhonda’s reasoning.
I said something similar to Neema in my confessional yesterday, and that was before the challenge debacle.
Plus, I haven’t really bonded with Ashley, so I wouldn’t be betraying her if I were to write her name down.
But I’m not fully on board just yet. “I certainly wouldn’t mind it if Ashley went home tonight,” I finally say, ladling water into a canteen. “You said you think a few of the others might work with us, too. Did you have any names in mind?”
“I think we can convince Marina and Katie without too much trouble. I like those two ladies a lot—they ain’t afraid to get their hands dirty if they need to. And I bet we could bring in Cole, too. He’s another one I wouldn’t mind workin’ with. Plus, you and he seem to get along pretty well.”
I do my best not to wince at the last part.
Rhonda may think that Cole and I get along, but that’s only because I’ve been doing my best not to slip up around him.
If he knows that I think he’s a threat, he might turn on me.
Besides, if I’m not careful, I might start to get distracted by his washboard abs or his perfect arms. But at the same time, at least I have some connection with him, so maybe she’s not completely wrong.
“Anyway,” Rhonda continues, “if we manage to bring all of them in, that’d make five, and then we’d have the majority.” She looks up at me, her eyebrows raised. “Of course, that only works if you’re in too, chile.”
Again, I take a moment to consider my response before I say anything.
“I could definitely see myself voting for her,” I eventually reply.
Truthfully, I’m not convinced yet. I want to hear what some of the others think before I make up my mind.
But it’s not a bad plan, and if I seem too noncommittal, Rhonda might get spooked and target me instead of Ashley, which would be a disaster.
“I’m glad you came to me, by the way. It’s nice to know that someone wants to work with me. ”
“Of course, Ryan. Like I said, I like you quite a bit.” She lightly touches my hand, giving me what looks like a genuine smile. “In fact, I think that you and I are going to go very far in this game.”
We finish filling up the canteens and return to camp shortly after that. However, I’ve barely had time to empty the now-full canteens into the pot for boiling before Beck comes up to me and asks if he can talk to me for a few minutes.
As with Rhonda, I agree to talk to him, and he leads me down the beach. As usual, we’re trailed by one of the ubiquitous camera crew, who are ready to record every last detail of our conversation.
Once we’ve gotten a good distance away from the camp, Beck suggests that we sit on the beach before launching into his spiel.
“I’m guessing Rhonda just asked you to vote for Ashley,” he says, idly running one of his hands through the sand.
“It’s clear that she doesn’t like Ashley, especially after what happened at the challenge today.
And look, I get where she’s coming from—really, I do.
But I think it would be a mistake to get rid of Ashley.
After all, it was just one challenge, and who knows what the next one will be?
” He shrugs, as if to emphasize his lack of foreknowledge.
“Besides, this game isn’t about who can lift the most weight or who does the most work around camp.
No, it’s about finding people you can work with, who you can trust. I trust Ashley, plus a couple others, and I don’t trust Rhonda. It’s as simple as that.”
It isn’t lost on me that he and Rhonda both emphasized trust above all else. “I see,” I reply, just as careful as I was with Rhonda. “And who are the other people you trust besides Ashley?”
“Honestly? Jing and Joe.” He stops playing with the sand and looks me in the eye. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no, you’re not on that list, not yet. But I get a good feeling from you, and I’d like to think that we could develop that trust pretty quickly.”
I stop myself from rolling my eyes with some difficulty.
Given that our conversations so far have mostly been limited to him telling me what to do, it’s more likely that he just sees me as a number rather than a true partner in his alliance.
“That could happen,” I say. To be fair, it’s only been three days, so maybe I’m not giving him enough credit.
“I’m guessing you want to vote out Rhonda? ”
“Actually, I was thinking something different.” He gives me a conspiratorial grin. “How would you feel about voting out Cole?”
Wait, what? I don’t know why I’m so surprised to hear Cole’s name being thrown out there.
I pegged him as a possible risk on day one, and it’s silly to think that I’m the only one who saw the obvious.
“I … suppose I might be interested,” I eventually reply.
What’s even more confusing is the flicker of revulsion that the thought of voting out Cole brings to my mind.
Isn’t this what I wanted? “Let me guess, you think he’s a threat? ”
“Exactly.” Beck leans forward, his eyes burning with an inner light.
“You saw him at the challenge today. Despite what it might have looked like, he was the one putting in most of the effort carrying that box. If he makes it to the merge, he could win every single individual immunity challenge and just coast to the end. Who wouldn’t vote for him to win if that happens? ”
“But … don’t we need him to win challenges now?
” I can’t believe I’m arguing that we should keep Cole, of all people, around.
I tell myself that I’m just playing devil’s advocate, just making sure Beck has seriously thought this through before I commit either way.
“It doesn’t really matter what happens after the merge if we lose all the challenges before then. ”