“I promise today will be better,” he said again.
We hadto be driven a few miles from the lodge for today’s challenge. Maybe it was sad, but I savored these short car rides. They gave me a hint of normalcy. I could just sit in the back seat as a member of the crew drove us somewhere. The radio played softly in the background, and I could stareat the mountains in the distance as we rolled along a dirt road.
Today, I pressed my face against the glass, relishing the coolness on my forehead. Looking out at the landscape, I was struck again by just how beautiful it was out here. I had never been much of a traveler, but now I wished I could see more of the world—or at least the country. Preferably under circumstances that did not involve me being constantly recorded.
“Are you okay?” Trace whispered. “You seemed a little off at breakfast.”
“No talking.” Brady whipped his head around to glare from the passenger seat.
I gave Trace a thumbs-up instead of answering.
“No signaling either,” he warned, before turning back to face the front.
We rolled our eyes at each other. The girls and guys were separated before the challenge, so Rachel, Trace, Sofia, and I all rode in the same van. Because there were no cameras in the van, Brady and Shay had instructed us not to talk. They couldn’t use it as footage, so they didn’t want us to spill anything juicy while we were in there. Honestly, that was fine with me. It added to the few moments of peace.
Minutes later we pulled into a gravelly spot. It was basically an open field surrounded by a forested area. The guys already stood on their mat, awaiting our arrival. Rita was getting a touch up from the makeup team as we were ushered out of the van.
Brady lined us up. “You all look great. Isn’t it a beautiful day? No storm in sight.”
I shot him a dirty look. He was always trying to be friendly, but at this point, he had prodded us in interviews too many times for us to play nice with him. Even Trace didn’t attempt small talk.
The crew members backed away and Robert came out to go over safety rules.
“Okay, today you’ll be riding four-wheelers. After we film the challenge intro with Rita, I’ll go over safety measures with each of you. You’ll be riding one team to a four-wheeler.” He held up a map and a compass. “These are your maps. Each team will be going to a different area of the forest, but everything is within a half-mile of where we’re standing now. Each team will have a satellite phone in case of an emergency, but if we have to come get you that will pull you out of the challenge. Once you find your spot in the forest, you’ll find a simple wooden structure and building materials. You’ll be following a set of basic instructions to build an emergency shelter. You’ll have a cameraman and a crew member on site with you, so as soon as you’re done, have them check your work. Once they approve, you’ll ride back here. The order you arrive is your new rank. Make sense?”
“We’re building a house?” Sofia asked skeptically.
Robert chuckled. “Not quite. The foundational structure of the shelter is already there. You’ll be adding walls and a roof. No different than assembling furniture.”
“So now we’re just doing free manual labor for the lodge?” Grant asked.
Robert ignored his question and continued giving instructions.
I eyed the four-wheeler. The building part sounded a lot less intimidating than getting on the back of that thing. With the way my luck had been going, I’m sure Eli would insist on driving.
The guys asked a few additional questions before Robert wished us all luck and exited the set. Rita replaced him and shook out her long hair.
“Ready,” she shouted.
They counted us down and she began her intro. She briefly went over the general nature of the challenge before telling us it was time to pick our teams.
“And remember,” she added. “After this, there will be only one more chance for partner swaps before we enter the final stage of this experience.”
Arnie was up first, and he beamed while selecting Rachel. My heart soared for him. He looked so excited about the possibilities. If anyone deserved to find someone in this, it was him.
Next up was Danny. As soon as he said Trace’s name, his face softened.
This was going to be a boring selection for the show since we’d all be selecting the same partners again. This was probably a moment in the editing booth where they’d cut to us all standing on the mat together in already-formed pairs.
Grant stepped forward next.
We all waited for him to call Sofia’s name. They weren’t getting along particularly well, but he had no other options. Grant and I hadn’t even spoken two words to each other outside of a group setting.
“Calla,” he said confidently.
Eli whipped his head around to glare at him. “What the hell?” he demanded.
My feet stayed rooted on the mat, still processing what had just happened.
