Chapter 14
Over the next few hours, the five of us try our best to implement our plan without giving away our strategy, or even the fact that we have a plan, to the other tribe.
I’d be shocked if they didn’t assume we’re up to something? but if we’re lucky, they won’t know the details until it’s too late.
And we could use that luck. At the same time, everyone tries to go about their day like it’s normal, for the most part.
The chores still have to get done, even if the next two days could decide our fates.
Meanwhile, I keep my eyes open for a chance to talk to Tamika.
I get my chance later in the afternoon of day eighteen, when she announces she’s going to go collect firewood to stockpile. “Anyone want to come with me?” she asks.
“I will,” I reply, trying not to sound too eager. “I’m not doing anything at the moment.”
She nods, and we each grab a machete—fortunately, the powers that be let Sika bring theirs over with them, so we now have two instead of one—and head into the woods.
I lead Tamika over to an area where there are a lot of trees with older, dry branches. “You said you’re a grad student, right?” I ask, reaching down to pick up a piece of fallen wood. “What do you study?”
“That’s right,” she responds. “I’m doing my master’s in education.”
“Oh, that’s awesome! Does that mean you want to be a teacher, then?”
She smiles and grabs another stick. “That’s the idea. I’ve actually got a job lined up at a school in the city for when I graduate.”
“Well, in that case, congratulations. My sister is a teacher too.”
“Oh, really? What does she teach?”
“Middle school English,” I tell her. “Seventh grade. I wouldn’t recommend it—apparently the kids are terrors at that age.”
“So I’ve heard,” she replies with a laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ll be teaching elementary schoolers. I’m sure they’ll have their own struggles, but I’m still looking forward to it.”
We continue to talk about our personal lives as we go about our task, one of the ever-present cameramen trailing us constantly.
I learn that she has twin brothers who are about my age—one is in the Army, while the other is in med school at Stanford.
I tell her more about Arielle, leaving out her recent health issues, of course.
I still haven’t told anyone about those.
It’s small talk, but that’s all I need right now: a chance to connect with Tamika, to build a relationship that could get me a little farther in the game.
After a while, we finish collecting and return to the camp, depositing the firewood near the shelter. “I could use a break,” she says, taking a swig from her canteen. “Want to come sit on the beach with me?”
I don’t really have anything better to do, so I agree, and we continue our conversation, moving on to talking about our respective cities and how they compare to each other.
She seems both intelligent and personable, and the conversation flows naturally.
It’s a shame one of us will probably have to vote the other out eventually.
But then, seemingly out of nowhere, she cuts off mid-sentence and looks past my shoulder, her expression quickly changing from an amused grin to a light frown.
I turn to see the other four Sikas huddled with each other.
They’re far enough away that we can’t hear exactly what’s being said, but they’re obviously discussing strategy.
None of them is looking in our direction, and we’ve kept our voices fairly low, so I doubt they even know we’re here.
I clear my throat lightly. “You know, if you want to join them, I won’t be offended,” I tell her. “I’ve taken up enough of your time already.”
She shakes her head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass,” she says, grimacing. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
I lay back in the sand and close my eyes, pretending to bask in the sun, as though I don’t have a care in the world. “You don’t have to pretend,” I say, keeping my voice light. “We may be on the same tribe now, but I know that doesn’t mean we’re on the same side.”
“Trust me, you’re not the problem,” she says, with a snort. “To tell you the truth, it’s not that I don’t want to talk to them. I think they don’t want to talk to me.”
“Oh?” I crack open my eyes, willing myself to act normally. “Why is that?”
She gives me a long sideways look, as though she’s considering how much to tell me. “Let’s just say I don’t get along with them.”
“Wait, really? How come? I’ve only known you for a few hours, and I’d say you’re pretty easy to get along with.”
She pauses for a long moment that stretches on for what feels like an eternity, her eyes searching mine.
Finally, just when I’m starting to wonder if I’ve pushed too far, she sighs and looks down.
“It’s been like that since day five,” she says.
“When we went to tribal council the first time. The four of them acted like it was my fault that we were there at all. That was after the challenge where we had to throw the sandbags up onto the poles, remember? I knocked Randy’s off, and they kept saying that was what lost it for us.
Hell, they probably would have voted me out if Lauren hadn’t all but quit, and they didn’t need me for the swimming challenges.
” Her lips curl into a sneer. “When we got back to camp afterwards, Randy told me I was lucky that I didn’t go home.
Ever since then, he’s acted like I should be down on my knees thanking him, and the rest of them fall all over themselves doing whatever he says. ”
“Ugh, that sounds terrible. At least you made it to the merge—if nothing else, you’ve got some fresh faces to talk to.”
“That’s true.” She lowers her voice, keeping her eyes on the four Sikas. “Between you and me, I’m pretty sure I was the next to go if we hadn’t swapped tribes. Randy never came out and said it, but I bet he was gunning for me to go home.”
In a flash, an idea crystallizes in my brain. “That would explain some things.”
Tamika turns her gaze on me instantly, eyebrows raised. “Oh? What kind of things?”
I sit up, trying to pretend as if I’ve just remembered who I’m talking to. “Nothing,” I reply hastily. “Just forget I said anything.”
She shakes her head. “Uh-uh. If you know something, I want to hear it.” She leans forward and lowers her voice. “If you’re worried that I’m going to run over there and tattle on you, I promise I won’t. I don’t owe them a single thing, least of all my trust.”
“Well …” I bite my lip, pretending to consider her words before apparently coming to a decision.
“You didn’t hear it from me, but Cole said Randy pulled him aside after tribal council last night and asked him whether he’d be willing to vote you out next.
He figured Randy was just trying to see if he’d flip on us, so he didn’t really think anything of it, but maybe Randy was actually being serious. ”
For the second time, Tamika stares at me without speaking for seconds that feel like hours, while I silently will her to believe my lies.
Eventually, she nods, her expression inscrutable. “Well, you’ve certainly given me a lot to think about,” she says, her tone as guarded as her expression. She gets up, holding her hand out to me. “Come on. We should probably get back to work.”
Tamika and I continue to collect firewood for another hour or so after that.
Unlike before, we’re mostly silent, which is fine with me.
I’ve laid out the bait, and now I just have to wait and hope she bites.
I feel a little bad for lying to her, but we all knew what we were signing up for.
And anything that keeps me in the game is a good thing right now.
Other than the ethical grayness of it, I’m pretty happy with how our conversation went.
There’s more work to do—I just planted the seed in her mind, but it still has to grow if I have any hope of getting her on our side.
Of course, as soon as we get back to the shelter, I make sure to tell Cole about his made-up conversation with Randy last night, just in case Tamika decides to follow up with him.
A little while later, I see the two of them whispering together on the beach, Cole looking apologetic and Tamika angry, and I hide a smile. Maybe we can pull this off.
To make things even better, a little while after that, Marina pulls me aside and tells me that she thinks she, Rhonda, and Katie successfully convinced the Sikas that we’ll be voting for Ashraf, although they didn’t make any headway in figuring out who they’re targeting.
“Not that it really matters much,” she says, frowning. “But still, it would be nice to know.”
I nod, still hopeful that the Sikas will try to get one of us to vote with them. They’d have to at least tell us a name to write down, and even if it’s a lie, it would give some indication of what they’re thinking.
But to my surprise, as the day passes, none of the Sikas approach me to see if I’m willing to flip on my alliance.
At first, I figure they’re excluding me for some reason, but when the five of us reconvene after sunset and compare notes, that notion is dispelled.
“I got no clue what they’re up to,” Rhonda grumbles.
“Alina and I chatted—or rather, she chatted, and I listened—in the shelter for nearly two hours, and she didn’t say a single word about the next tribal council. ”
“Same for me,” Katie says. “I talked to Jenny and Ashraf, and neither of them said anything about who they were voting for, or even asked me if I’d be willing to join them.”
“How about you, Cole?” Rhonda asks. “You’d think if they were gonna try to flip someone, it would be you.”