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“The hell you didn’t,” Ned said. “You need to watch your mouth.”
“What?” Camille blinked her eyes innocently. “You must have misheard me.”
But Maire had heard her. Everyone had. What was Camille up to? First, she had made the statement about the senator’s eight-year-old son, and now this. Would this comment turn out to be true too?
After what Ned had done to Maire on the climbing wall, he was the one that she wanted to see go next. She slid her hand into the pocket of her jacket, feeling for the pill. Should she use it? Was this the time?
“How about we talk about what happened last night?” Samuel asked, wiping his lips with a napkin and setting aside his plate.
“Shh,” Maire hissed, looking around. The camera operators were chatting and several crew members were rushing around the space, not focusing on them any longer, but Maire knew that there were hidden cameras everywhere. “There’s nothing to talk about,” Maire said as the group drew into a tight knot. “The senator was voted off and freaked out. We need to just forget it and move on.”
“There is something seriously fucked-up about this game,” Samuel said. Maire glared at him. She needed him to be quiet, to just keep on going like nothing happened. If he made a fuss, the game could be shut down.
“Shut up, man,” Ned whispered, setting his soda can down. “Let’s just play the damn game.”
Maire shot Samuel a look, silently begging for him to stop. There was no way he was going to mess this up for her. Samuel shook his head in disbelief but closed his mouth.
Maire eyed Ned’s drink sitting on the table. Had she lost the chance to put the pill in the can? If she dropped it in now, and he didn’t take another sip, she will have wasted the opportunity. Maire palmed the pill and nonchalantly stepped in front of Ned at the buffet table, pretending to examine the spread of sandwiches, salads, and desserts. She reached for a turkey wrap with one hand while slyly slipping the pill into Ned’s soda can with the other.
Maire stepped away from the table. It was done. Whatever came next was out of her control.
Alfonso’s intern walked their way. “Good evening, everyone,” she said, brightly. “I hope you were able to get some well-deserved rest today. It’s time to head over to the next challenge.”
Maire wondered if anyone filled Alfonso in on what had happened the night before. Somehow, she doubted it. Did the director of the show even know the contents of the Super Clues and the Game Changers, or was he just as much in the dark as they were?
Out of the corner of her eye, Maire saw Ned reach for the can and raise it to his lips. She held her breath as he took a sip, then another.
“We’re heading outside again today,” the intern said. “And I can guarantee this challenge will have viewers talking for years. Shall we go?”
Ned tipped his head back, drained the rest of his drink, and set it aside. “I’m ready, but the question is, is Maire ready?”
Maire bit back a response. She needed to keep Ned Bennett out of her head.
The intern led them through the grand hallway and through the same doors that they had exited the night of the first competition. They stepped out beneath an early evening tangerine-colored sky. Maire kept a close eye on Ned, looking for any signs that the pill was working. He appeared to be just fine and was walking with his usual swagger.
In the near distance, what looked like hundreds of black crosses filled an empty field. A graveyard, Maire thought. Seeing the disconcertion on her face, Camille leaned in and whispered, “They’re grape trellises. They’re supposed to support the vines.”
Maire nodded but the image was so disquieting, she couldn’t pull her eyes away. With a growing sense of unease, Maire followed the intern along a cobblestone path.
Soon, the walkway opened up and Maire blinked several times, trying to understand what she was seeing. Ice. Part of the lake was covered in ice. Impossible. Fear coiled itself around Maire’s heart.
“Are you okay?” Camille asked, putting a steadying hand on her arm.
Maire couldn’t answer. She was transported back to Tanglefoot, could almost feel the wind biting at her cheeks, the sting of cold water against her skin. She forced herself not to look at Samuel. If she did, she would fall apart. She now realized that this whole thing was no coincidence. Maire wanted to run, but where could she go? The cameras were running, the world was watching. She was trapped.
Maire squinted to get a better look. Of course the lake wasn’t covered in ice. It was a large white floating pond cover, about the size of a football field. She had seen the high-density covers many times, but never one as large as this. Maybe she had overreacted. Maybe this had nothing to do with Tanglefoot and was just another challenge. She had the nagging feeling that she had every reason to be scared.
Fern was waiting for them at the edge of the lake, dressed in a red, one-shouldered, high-collared gown that covered the bruises around her neck. She held up one hand. “Good evening, Luckies. I trust you had a good day. Let’s go ahead and get started. As you can see, the sun is beginning to set and it’s important we finish this challenge before nightfall.”
Maire noticed that Fern had expertly camouflaged the bruises that her dress didn’t cover. Despite her thick makeup, dark circles lined Fern’s eyes and no amount of bronzer could conceal her exhaustion.
“The four of you have survived the first elimination,” Fern said. “Welcome to your most intense challenge to date. As you can see, a portion of the lake behind us is covered except for a three-foot-by-three-foot hole.”
Maire felt sick. Twenty years later and she could still feel the icy claws of the lake trying to drag her in.
“We’ll walk out to the opening in the lake, but don’t worry, it’s sturdy,” Fern said, and she moved on to the pond cover. Maire took an experimental step, then another. The hard plastic didn’t even wobble beneath her.
In a single-file line, the group walked about fifty yards out onto the lake. Fern led them toward a large white marble gazebo with a domed roof and columns made from sculptures of Roman goddesses. It was an incredible sight. The amount of work and money to create the set had to be staggering. One camera operator was waiting in the gazebo and behind him was Alfonso, studying his clipboard.
