Page 11 of The Trip of a Lifetime

Martha: Yeah, it was incredible meeting everyone again after all this time.

Cally: Did I detect a little tension between you and Harrison? I believe he beat you in that first race. Are you harbouring any resentment?

Martha: No, no, not at all.

Cally: And, of course, for you, Erin, it was the first time you met them all. Do they seem like a good bunch to race against?

Erin: Yes. Most seem lovely.

Martha: Only most?

Erin: Ha! No, they’re all amazing. Harrison’s great-nephew seems… like an interesting person.

Cally: What, Sam?

Erin: I thought his name was Samuel?

Cally: Well, it might be, but he calls himself Sam. Do I detect a little flirtation?

Erin: Absolutely not. In fact, I’d go as far as to say, over my dead body.

‘Cut. Right, ladies, that’s perfect for now. I’ll let you get back to your room for some much-needed sleep before we kick off tomorrow. Oh, Erin, we might edit out that last bit. We don’t want to make you sound bitter,’ Cally said. ‘It’s so important to get the right vibe going. Viewers will latch on to anything and we want them to love you.’

I got up and pulled my bag from the back of the chair, more than ready to get back to our room. Something was coming off Erin in waves and I was keen to ask her what was wrong. We got as far as the door before she turned back.

‘You know, please feel free to leave it in,’ Erin said. ‘In fact, I’d really rather you did.’

6

ERIN

They were taken by car to Stanley Park, which was a sacred peninsula and home for thousands of years to indigenous peoples before British Columbia was colonised in 1858. Erin read this from the leaflet that Cally had given them. When she opened it right out, she found a map inside.

‘You’ll need that to get out of the park. Everyone will get one, I’m not helping you more than anyone else,’ Cally said.

The park looked huge and sat on the northwesternmost point of Vancouver city. There wasn’t much separating them here from the Pacific Ocean.

The car dropped them off and they followed Cally to a small building next to a café. Erin could already feel the weight of her backpack against her body. It made her want to lean forward to take the strain.

It was cloudy and without the sun, it felt distinctly chilly. In a way it was easier to wear their coats and hats rather than having them stuffed into their rucksacks.

Inside, the building was little more than a community hall and two park rangers were ready and waiting for them. Cally took both Erin and Martha’s phones out of her bag and handed them back to them.

‘For the camera, we’ll take these and any money you have and give you instructions. I know we went through most of it at the welcome dinner last night but this is for the viewers. I won’t ever be on camera in the final edit but it’s fine if you talk to me and I answer, it will just be cut out at the end. Okay?’

‘Bit weird,’ Erin said and Martha breathed, Get used to it.

‘Welcome,’ one of the park rangers said. ‘If you can hand over any phones or devices you have and wallets, purses, credit cards.’

Erin and Martha made a show of giving up their things for the second time but for Erin it felt even harder to hand her phone over once she had it back in her grasp. The reality was really beginning to sink in.

‘Goodbye, my friend,’ she said and saw Cally smile behind the camera.

‘You’ll need to give up your e-reader, Martha, I’m afraid,’ Cally said as Martha was tucking it into the front pocket of her rucksack. ‘I can’t have you accessing the Internet.’

‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ Martha said. ‘Damn.’ She chuckled as she reluctantly handed it over.

They were given a tracking device which Erin passed straight to Martha. Cally had already explained that she and a camera guy would be following them at all times but the decision-making would be 100 per cent down to Erin and Martha. They would only intervene if a contestant were seriously ill or in imminent danger of death.