Beyond the Tide

by Noelle Marchand

  Ian glanced over his shoulder at Scott. “We’re on the island. The only island we’ve ever been on. We’ve been circling this thing the whole time. Did you realize that?”

  Scott froze. “No way. I mean it makes sense, but… No wonder I started getting a weird sense of déjà vu.”

  “The best I can figure is this is a private island they rented specifically for the show. It must be pretty large. I think we’re on the opposite end from where all the action takes place.” He returned to the stove and flipped the tortillas over. “This cabin is part of the island’s infrastructure as is Miriam’s office. She stays in the loft above it.”

  “So she’s pretty much our landlord.”

  “Right. She brings the food and whatever else we need within reason. We’re still technically supposed to be roughing it out here. There’s a TV that connects to a Blu-ray, and a whole library of movies and TV shows.”

  “Nice.”

  Enough with the chit chat. Ian couldn’t wait a second longer. “How’s everyone on the ship?”

  “Hmm. Anyone you’d like to know about in particular?” Scott countered Ian’s annoyed look with a smug grin, then pointed to the clock over the stove. “Four minutes and thirty-five seconds.”

  “You were timing me?”

  “You have remarkable self-control.”

  “You’re the worst.”

  “Thanks, I try.”

  Ian served up the tortillas with a heap of the fajita mixture right in the middle of each one. A little bit of cheese and salsa made them ready to eat. He sat across the table from Scott. “Well?”

  Scott took a large bite of the fajita and chewed slowly before finally saying, “This is amazing. How did you learn to cook like this?”

  “Thanks, but I’m pretty sure anything would taste good to you. You’ve had nothing but sal—”

  “We don’t say that word in this house.” Scott left the table to peer into the refrigerator. “What do you want to drink?”

  “Anything sweet and fizzy.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Scott slid a cold can of cola across the table to Ian, then grabbed one for himself.

  Ian popped the can open. “How long are you going to stall?”

  “I guess you’ve squirmed enough.” Scott settled back into his chair. “You should have seen her when you didn’t come back, dude.”

  “Was she furious?”

  “Oh, yeah. Dash had it coming, though. That cocky grin of his might look good during a photo shoot, but it practically signed his death warrant.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She shook off Brian, who tried to restrain her, and walked right up to Dash. She looked him in the eye and… I would say she told him off, but it was so much better than that. It was awesome.”

  Ian grinned. “What did she say?”

  “I don’t remember it word for word, but it went something like, ‘Give me a reason to unleash what I’m feeling right now.’”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Woah.”

  “Right? You could tell it was pure fury. Then she says, ‘You think I’m intimidated or afraid of you? I faced a guy way more evil than you.’ That’s when I realized she was that Ava Emerson. The one who was all over the news because some lunatic tried to beat her up and throw acid on her face. Did you know that?”

  “Of course, I knew.” However, he hadn’t known her personally back when it was on the news and hadn’t thought about it much since their first meeting. Now, the thought of someone attempting to do such a horrible thing to the woman he knew and cared so much for made feel him sick. Appetite gone, he set his fajita back on the plate. “What else did she say?”

  “Well, then she said, ‘For a while it was just me and him. Before my dad’s security detail shot him between the eyes, I got in a few good hits. The autopsy proved it.’”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah, but she said it so much better. I’m totally butchering it. Then she got right up in his face. With this steel and fury in her voice, she said, ‘So, please. Give. Me. A reason.’”

  Ian pumped a fist in the air. “Yes, Ava!”

  Scott laughed. “Dude. It was sick.”

  “How did Dash react?”

  Scott shook his head. “You should have seen him. He went about three shades whiter. He couldn’t say a word. Didn’t, either, for almost two days. Then he apologized. Ava accepted it even though you could tell there was no way on God’s green earth she’d trust him in her vicinity. We decided as a group we were going to put aside our hostilities and focus on the game instead of side drama.”

  Ian frowned. “I think Ava’s well-being is a little more than just side drama, but I’m glad things are better for her on the Intrepid. I’m proud of her, too, for standing up for herself.”

  “She did, for sure.” Scott finally opened his can of cola. “Listen, if it’s none of my business, then it’s none of my business, but what happened to cause the duel? I thought the whole situation between you, Ava, and Dash had calmed down.”

  Ian grimaced. “It was heating up again.”

  “I figured something must have happened.”

  “It did. I’m sure you’ll see it play out on TV, but I’d rather not go into it now.”

  Scott nodded and took another bite of a fajita before searching Ian’s face. Covering his mouth, he mumbled, “So was it worth it? Giving up your shot for her, I mean?”

  “It was worth it.” Not wanting to go into any more detail, he continued, “So how’s everyone else out there?”

  Scott shrugged. “Pretty much the same.”

  “Has Logan been around more?”

  “Not really. Why?”

  “He promised he’d keep an eye on Ava.”

  “Well, if it’s any comfort, I think she’s doing ok on her own.” Scott polished off his second fajita. “I’m going to shower and change into some modern clothes. After that, how about we watch a movie?”

  “I’m in.”

  “Great.” A minute later, Scott called from the living room, “Hey, they have Twister, Storm Warning, and Sharknado. Yes! Technology!”

  Ian laughed. “Oh, boy. This is going to be fun.”

  R

  Logan Kittredge had been captaining another ship on the side this whole time. And, he was smug about it, too. The skunk. He swept his arm toward the group of pirates who looked as confused as her crewmates from the Intrepid. “Good morning, pirates. Meet the rest of the fleet!

  “The Intrepid crew consists of Brian, Ava, Philip, Dash, and Noah. Scott voted out at the last pirate council. The Audacious crew consists of Hunter, Cameron, Sierra, Tice, Jocelyn, and Boone. Lisa voted out in their last pirate council.

  “You should be realizing your one in five shot at winning this game just went to one in ten. No, I haven’t miscounted. There are eleven of you now, but by the end of this challenge, only ten of you will remain. The game has changed again. No more votes. From here on out, you live or die in this game purely on your own merits. Starting now… with a duel to the death.”

  She was supposed to be intimidated. She knew that, but she was way too distracted by the fact that the other crew had started out with at least three women. It seemed totally unfair for her to have been placed with only guys. Surely Living History could have distributed the ladies out more.

  The two crews eyed each other rather suspiciously while Logan beckoned them all forward. “This way to the dueling site, please.”

  The crews converged out of necessity to fit on the narrow forest trail. Ava maneuvered her way through the ranks to Anne Bonnie and Mary Reid. It wasn’t hard to do since they seemed to be hanging back, waiting for her. Hopefully, that meant they intended to be friendly.

  They greeted her with cautious smiles which Ava returned with a friendly grin. “Hi, I’m Ava.”

  “Sierra,” said the statuesque woman with straight hair the color of a new penny, her nose tinged pink from the sun.
<
br />   The petite beauty with nut-brown skin and dark brown eyes waved. “Jocelyn.”

  “Nice to meet you,” they all said at once, then laughed.

  Relief filled Ava. She stepped aside to let a couple of guys pass before falling into step with the girls. She leaned in to confide. “I am so glad to see y’all. I’ve been the only woman on my ship this whole time.”

  Jocelyn’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. At all. Did y’all sign up to be pirates or were you press-ganged?”

  “We signed up.” Sierra nodded toward someone ahead of them. “Two of the guys were press-ganged. They thought they were on a sailing expedition show or something.”

  Ava laughed. “I thought I was on an educational, historical reenactment show.”

  Jocelyn lightly touched Ava’s arm. “I bet that was your room that I searched through. It looked like a woman had left in a hurry. I thought she was supposed to be hiding somewhere.”

  “What were you looking for?”

  “A jewel. I found it in the desk.”

  “Hmm. Well, they must have planted it there after I left.”

  Jocelyn shook her head. “I can’t believe they’ve had two crews this whole time.”

  Sierra shrugged. “I think it’s cool. All these surprises and twists keep the game interesting.”

  The trees were beginning to thin out, which probably meant they were getting close to the dueling site. Ava leaned closer and lowered her voice to keep the guys from hearing her. “How have the guys been treating y’all? Is there anyone I should watch out for now since we’ve become one crew?”

  Sierra looked taken aback. “We haven’t had any issues. Why? Have you?”

  Ava hesitated.

  Sierra gave her a pointed look. “Spill it.”

  “And hurry,” Jocelyn added.

  Pulling in a deep breath, Ava gave them a quick rundown of the guy’s bet and Dash’s persistence. She finished with, “We all resolved to put it behind us and move on. I feel kind of bad for bringing it up.”

  Jocelyn waved away her concern. “Don’t. It’s better that we know, Ava.”

  Sierra nodded. “It’s good to know the culture of the ship. Nothing like that has happened on the Audacious. We’ve had some in-fighting, but—”

  “Quiet on the set!” A production assistant called.

  Sierra whispered. “I’ll tell you later.”

  She was assuming there would be a later? Ava had her doubts as she eyed the obstacle course they were about to run. Two platforms floated in the ocean. There was a ladder on each platform. The ladders were connected by a single plank… which was about thirty feet in the air.

  She swallowed hard. This could be a problem.

  “The rules are simple,” Logan began. “One at a time, you will swim out to the platform, climb the ladder and walk the plank. The first person to fall three times will be eliminated. Let’s get started.”

  Falling? Who cared about falling? Ava wasn’t even sure she’d be able to make all the way to the top of the ladder. No. She could do this. She simply needed to focus on one thing at a time. It seemed both an eternity and an instant before it was her turn at the obstacle course. After swimming out to the platform, she climbed up the ladder, mumbling, “Don’t look down. One step at a time.”

  She reached the top rung. Her heart thundered in her chest. There was a square section for her to stand on. She waited until she felt attuned to the rhythm of the ocean swells rocking the platform before taking her first step. Then another.

  The platforms rocked violently beneath her. She lost focus. The next thing she knew, she was careening into the deep. She swam back to shore. Brian went next. He made it across the plank on the first try as did Noah and Jocelyn. After round two, Sierra, Dash, and Boone were safe.

  Soon, it was Ava’s turn again. This time she made it nearly halfway across before she fell. The waves seemed to fight her every move, but she escaped their grasp to stand on the shore. Brian called out, “You’ll get it next time, Ava.”

  She wasn’t so sure about that, but she smiled her thanks. Bracing her hands on her hips, she waited for the next round. While everyone was distracted by Philip making it across, Jocelyn eased closer to whisper, “Focus on the other end of the plank. Your feet will naturally take you there.”

  Ava nodded.

  Logan announced, “Third round! Cameron, Hunter, and Ava; this is your last chance. The first one who falls is out. We’ll draw straws to see who goes first.”

  She picked the short straw. She took her time swimming out to the platform to conserve energy. One rung at a time, she climbed up the ladder. She pulled herself up onto the larger square right as a swell hit the platform.

  Grabbing onto the wood, she held on for dear life. Her heart seemed to dip all the way to her stomach until the sea calmed a bit. She extended her arms to feel the rhythm of the waves. She trained her gaze on the end of the platform and started across at a steady pace. She passed the halfway mark. She was almost there!

  A few more steps and…

  A sudden gust of wind slammed against her body. The whole platform seemed to come alive, bouncing and swaying. Arms wind-milling, she fought to regain her balance. Instead, she slipped off the side and plunged into the water. Over. It was all over.

  Shock mixed with disappointment as she surged to the surface, gasping for air. She swam to the shore, then walked up the beach to stand in front of Logan. The sincerity in his eyes also filled his voice. “Ava, I’m sorry. The fates were not in your favor. Your journey ends here.”

  It seemed so unreal, but she nodded. A shaky smile touched her lips. She turned to look at the pirate crew. So many of them she didn’t know. Jocelyn and Sierra looked disappointed. Brian seemed crestfallen, but it was Dash who caught her attention. He mouthed two words, “I’m sorry.”

  Her smile became even shakier. She nodded. And then, because she hadn’t truly meant it before, she walked over to him and held out her hand. “I forgive you.”

  Disbelief flashed across his face, but he shook her hand. She gave Brian a hug. He hugged her back tight enough to loosen a laugh from her chest. She punched him on the shoulder, “Do good, brother.”

  He nodded. “I will.”

  She gave Noah and Philip parting fist bumps, smiled at the girls, and gave everyone a wave. “Have fun, y’all!”

  With that, she walked away. The production crew directed her to meadow with an unhindered view of the sea for her exit interview. She waited while Ted framed the shot. He didn’t even bother to ask a question. He simply nodded as if that would be enough to make her spill her guts in front of a camera. Oddly enough, it was.

  “This is so unreal. To be eliminated…” She raked her fingers through her sea-tossed hair. “I can’t believe this experience is over. It’s been so challenging and confusing and life-changing. This place has become my whole world. For so long, I didn’t want to be here. Now, I don’t want to go.”

  “Tell us about that moment with Dash. What did you say and why?”

  “I told Dash I forgave him. Why? Because it was the right thing to do, and I wanted some closure.”

  He asked her a few questions about the reveal of the Audacious crew, then had her go through the challenge step-by-step. Finally, Ted lowered the camera. “That’s a wrap, Ava.”

  “Thanks for everything, Ted.” Catching sight of the woman walking out of the trees to meet them, Ava blinked in surprise. “Miriam?”

  In dark skinny jeans and a blue top, Miriam looked much more relaxed than the last time Ava had seen her. “Hi, Ava.”

  “Wow.” Ava glanced at Ted and grinned. “This is like old home week.”

  Miriam giggled. “Yep. The band’s back together.”

  “Not for long, I’m afraid.” Ted patted Ava’s shoulder. “I’ve got to go. Goodbye, Miss Texas. I’m sure we’ll see each other again at some point before the show wraps up completely. U
ntil then, you take care of yourself.”

  Ava waved. “Bye, Ted.”

  Miriam gestured toward the beach. “Let’s head this way. I hid the sand buggy behind the trees so I wouldn’t interrupt your exit interview.”

  “Ok.” Ava fell into step beside her. “Where are we headed after that?”

  “The sequestration house.”

  “I’m sorry. The what?”

  Miriam smiled. “It’s a two-bedroom bungalow. You’ll be sequestered there for a week to avoid speculation and the unintentional leak of information about the progress of the show and its contestants. It was in the contract you signed.”

  She frowned. “Actually, I don’t think it was.”

  “Oh.” Miriam paused, then continued walking. “That’s right. You had the press-gang contract. Well, then, it was in the amendment.”

  Ava shook her head. “I read the amendment pretty thoroughly since it included the rules of the competition. There was nothing about sequestration.”

  “Hmm.” Miriam’s poker face was excellent. Finally, she offered a shrug and a quick smile. “We can double check when we get to my office. It’s near the bungalow, which is quite adorable. For the next few days, you’ll be sharing it with the contestant who was voted out before you. Once he leaves, the contestant who is voted out after you will take his spot and so on.”

  “Interesting. Does that mean Scott is there now? Or is it Lisa?”

  “The Audacious crew is housed in a different location. You will be sharing the bungalow with Scott. Ian is moving out to make room for you.”

  Ava’s heart skipped a beat. “Ian’s there?”

  Miriam sent her a knowing look. “Only for an hour or so until the boat arrives to take him to the mainland.”

  “I see.” It had been six days since the duel to the death had eliminated Ian from the game. She’d thought for sure he’d be at home in Corpus Christi by now. Nervousness fluttered in her stomach. One hour. Then he’d leave and she’d be stuck here for a week. Unless…

  She glanced at Miriam. “What happens if I’m right about the sequestration clause?”

  Miriam gave her another unruffled smile. “If you’re right, we’d ask you to abide by the agreement anyway.”