Chapter 15
Tamika and I rejoin the others shortly thereafter. As soon as we’re back at the camp, I make a beeline for my alliance. I need to tell them the good news as soon as possible, just to make sure we’re all on the same page.
Thankfully, three of them—Marina, Rhonda, and Katie—are gathered together near the shelter, chattering quietly with each other.
With a quick look around to ensure no one is listening in—besides one of the ever-present cameras, of course—I join them.
“I’ve got news,” I tell them, suppressing a smile.
“Where’s Cole? He should hear this, too. ”
Rhonda shrugs. “No clue,” she says. “He said he was going to the well to fill his canteen, but that was a little while ago.”
“Should we wait for him?” Marina asks. “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”
I think about it for a few moments, then shake my head. “No, it’s fine. We can fill him in later.” I look around again. “Not here, though. Let’s go walk down the beach a bit.”
My three allies nod their agreement, and we start to walk away from the camp, towards the ocean.
I don’t know where the Sikas went, but they could be back at any moment, and I don’t want them to overhear what I’m about to say.
If they find out that Tamika has agreed to flip on them, they could try to convince her otherwise.
Or, even if she resists, she could slip up and let them know that we’re targeting Randy.
If they really do have a hidden idol, and they manage to play it correctly, it wouldn’t matter whether Tamika flips.
It turns out I wasn’t the only one who had the same thought, because as we turn a corner, I see the Sikas, minus Tamika, off in the distance, having their own conversation.
Cole is with them too, listening while Randy talks, the latter gesturing in the former’s direction.
They’re way too far away for me to tell what they’re saying, but whatever it is, it looks intense.
I swallow over a lump in my throat that wasn’t there just a moment ago.
Are they trying to flip him? If they were going to try to convince one of us, he’s the obvious choice.
Maybe he even feels like he owes them for keeping him over Jing, especially if—
Despite the warmth of the sun, an icy feeling comes over me.
Especially if they made some kind of deal with him.
At first glance, it seems unlikely, but I’ve only known Cole for a short time.
Who knows what he would have done to stay in the game?
Now that I think about it, the story he told us about Jing going home seems a little too fishy.
Maybe he thought it was the only way he could stick around.
The thought of Cole betraying us like that hurts, like a knife stabbed into my heart, but I’d be an idiot if I didn’t at least consider the possibility.
He would never do that to us, would he? After all, didn’t I tell myself I’d do anything for Arielle, even if it meant stabbing my allies in the back?
Cole glances in our direction and almost does a double take.
Randy looks up and, upon seeing us, stops talking immediately.
Nodding to Cole, he walks away, as though the discussion was finished, the other Sikas trailing behind.
If anything, my suspicion only grows upon seeing the abrupt end to their conversation.
Meanwhile, Cole comes over to join us. “Hey guys,” he says, with a smile that seems slightly forced. “What’s up?”
Rhonda looks to me, waiting for me to nod ever so slightly before responding. “Ryan has news,” she says, her voice as even as ever. “But we didn’t mean to interrupt y’alls conversation.”
Cole shakes his head. “Nah, it’s fine. They were trying to get me to tell them who has our immunity idol, but I think I did a good job of stonewalling them.” He shrugs. “Anyway, what’s the big news?”
Once again, the other three look to me, and I only hesitate a moment before responding.
This plan won’t work without Cole, and I just have to take the risk of telling him if I want to have any chance at success.
“I talked to Tamika earlier,” I tell them.
“She said she’s willing to vote for Randy tonight. ”
A wide smile crosses Cole’s face; it certainly looks real. “That’s great!” he exclaims. “I knew you could do it, Ry.”
The other three are grinning too, although perhaps a shade less than Cole. “How did you do it?” Katie asks. “I saw you two talking when we got back, but I couldn’t hear anything.”
I quickly explain how I managed to convince Tamika, keeping my voice low just in case the Sikas are listening in. There’s not much to tell, so it doesn’t take very long, but I try to give as much detail as possible, just so they can’t accuse me of leaving out key information later.
When I finish, there’s silence for a moment as they digest the information.
Then Rhonda looks at me, her lips pursed.
“Do you think we can trust her?” she asks.
“I don’t mean to throw cold water on y’all, but for all we know, she could just be sayin’ what she thinks we want to hear.
Could even be the whole thing’s a ruse, and she really has been workin’ with them all along. ”
I shrug. “The thought had crossed my mind,” I tell them.
It’s true—sometimes I feel like I’ve spent every waking moment out here thinking through different possibilities, and when I start to feel overwhelmed, I just remind myself that I’m doing this for Arielle.
“But I don’t really think we have a choice.
If she’s lying, there’s not much we can do about it anyway. ”
“He’s right,” Katie says, nodding. “We’ve done the best we can to make sure everything’s in our favor; now all we have to do is wait.”
Rhonda sighs deeply. “Yeah, I suppose y’all are right. We’ll find out one way or the other soon enough.” She shakes her head. “Well, I guess we should probably be gettin’ back to camp. We don’t want the others to get too suspicious.”
She turns to go, and I move to follow her.
She’s got a point—if we’re gone too long, the Sikas might start to wonder where we’ve gotten off to.
But before I can get more than a couple steps away, Cole reaches out and grabs my arm.
His touch is light, but it feels like an electric shock passing through me, and I try my best not to react outwardly.
“Can I talk to you, Ry?” he asks, his voice even lower than before. “Just for a minute.”
I nod, suddenly unable to breathe, let alone speak. Marina looks at me, one eyebrow raised, but I shake my head ever so slightly. Whatever Cole has to say, I want to hear it.
Once we’re alone, Cole stares at me for a long moment, then sighs and looks away.
“I … wasn’t entirely honest earlier,” he says quietly.
He looks at me again, his bright blue eyes burning with an intensity that I’ve rarely seen in them.
“The Sikas want me to vote with them. But I would never, never do that. I guess they think they have a chance to convince me since I lived with them for a few days, but they’re barking up the wrong tree.
” He pauses, his hands fidgeting at his sides. “You believe me, right?”
“I do,” I say automatically, even though I’m not sure whether it’s true.
If he were going to flip on us, and we really did catch him in the act, it would be in his best interest to do some damage control.
On the other hand, it’s not his fault that he got switched to the Sikas, and it’s natural that they’d want to at least talk to him to see whether flipping is a possibility.
In a way, all of that is irrelevant, because even if I didn’t believe him, I wouldn’t want him to know.
Suddenly, a part of me wishes I could just be candid with him, not just about this but about everything.
I wish I could tell him how I feel about him, even if it wouldn’t change anything, even if he were to reject me immediately.
I hate having to constantly think about every single word I say, wondering if the next thing I say is the one that’s going to send me home.
But then, before I can make a complete fool out of myself, cold hard reality slaps me in the face.
I may not like having to police every word and action and thought that runs through my mind, but that’s what I have to do if I want to win.
Arielle gave up so much for me when our parents died, and this is the least I can do to repay her.
Fortunately, my lukewarm response is good enough for Cole, because he lets out a breath and gives me a small smile. “Thank you, Ry,” he says. He reaches out as though to grab my hand, then awkwardly pulls it back. “I knew I could count on you.”
I nod and give him a reassuring look, even though my insides are roiling.
I’ll have time to be open and honest when I’ve won.
In the meantime, I just have to make it through this tribal council, and the one after that, and the one after that, until I can finally drop this facade and stop worrying over every little thing.
My heart pounds like a drum as we walk into tribal council later that night.
As always, Alex is waiting for us, his expression neutral as we file in and take our seats.
“First of all, congratulations to all of you on making the merge,” he says, nodding to us before turning to Cole.
“Cole, what were your feelings when you stepped off that boat and saw your former tribemates again?”
“Honestly, I was mostly just relieved,” Cole says, the corners of his mouth turned up as he gives a slight shake of his head. “I know I was only gone for a few days, and I’m glad I got a chance to know the others, but it still felt like I was coming home.”
Alex nods and turns to his left. “Katie, what were your thoughts when you realized that you’ve made it to the next stage of the game?”