by Tom Nicoll
“Bloomin’ thief!” yelled Bruiser. “They should kick ’im off the show.”
“Look, Joe – a snake!” shouted Lexi.
Bruiser let out a high-pitched squeal, which sent Lexi into fits of laughter.
“You lil brat,” said Bruiser. “They should send ’em both home, if yer ask me.”
“No one did,” snapped Cruul. “But I want to ask Sam something. What were you doing here?”
I was scrambling to think of an excuse but I had nothing. Except the truth.
“I came to find out what you’re really doing here on this show,” I said. “Why do you have a contract with Milo’s name on it?”
“What?” said Milo.
I grabbed the papers back off Cruul and waved them in my friend’s face.
“Well…” said Cruul. “Oh, look, isn’t it obvious?”
That caught me off guard. Was he actually about to admit to being here to bring back the Horsewomen?
“I came on this show to win,” he said. “My career is in tatters and I knew that even if I did win, it’d still be a long road back to where I’d been. When I heard that Milo was going to be here too, I saw a chance to speed things up. I’d heard the rumours about him going solo. I had my lawyer draw up a management contract just before I flew out. Sure it was a long shot, but I thought if I could convince him I was a changed man – and despite what you may believe, I truly am – then he might agree to take a shot on me. I know I can take him to the next level.”
Everyone looked at Milo but he just stood there saying nothing.
“Aren’t you going to tell him to get lost?” I asked.
“Sam … please … not now,” said Milo.
“What?” I said. “You’re not seriously thinking…”
“Why wouldn’t ’e?” butted in Bruiser. “Cruul’s a good guy. Not like you. You should get the boot for this.”
“Now, now, I don’t think there’s any need for that,” insisted Cruul. “After all, who can blame Sammy for his mistrust? But really, there’s no harm done. I’m sure if he were to apologize then we could all just draw a line under this sorry incident and move on.”
“Apologize?” I said, almost spitting the word at him. “To you? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Seems fair enough to me,” said Ronald.
“And me,” said Donald. “Sam, either you apologize to Nigel or you’re off the show.”
I couldn’t believe this. I was being asked to say sorry to the man who had almost helped bring about the Apocalypse.
I looked over at Milo but he was busy staring at the ground. I turned to Lexi. She gave me the tiniest of nods. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I had no choice.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“What?” asked Cruul. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
“I said: SORRY!”
“Ah, there it is,” he said. “Well, then. I think it’s time that Team Ellipsis returned to their own camp now, don’t you?”
Seething, I turned to walk away. As I reached the edge of their camp, I took one last look over my shoulder. Cruul, a thin smile etched on his face, winked at me.
Whatever it took, and whatever he was up to, I was going to stop that man.
Later that evening Lexi and I sat in silence, eating cold baked beans from a tin. Our hamper had been taken away as a punishment for my expedition and someone had even gone to the trouble of removing the remaining fruit from our camp.
“Well, that was a fun day,” said Lexi, finishing the last of her can.
“Yeah,” I said.
“You want me to do the next challenge?” she asked.
Tomorrow was the second Golden Challenge. It was match point for our team. If we won, the entire thing would be over – Cruul would have to leave the island. For that reason, I was sure he’d be doing the challenge himself.
“No,” I said. “Cruul’s mine.”
It was true that I wanted to take on Cruul but I had other reasons too. The challenges seemed to be getting increasingly dangerous and Lexi had already done more than her share. If I let her volunteer again I’d basically be asking her to sacrifice herself for me, and there was no way I was doing that. Especially after what had happened with Steve.
Steve – the lead singer and only non-Horsewoman in Apocalips – had saved my life. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have met the same fate as the Horsewomen that day at Hyde Park and been sucked into the void. Instead, Steve was. It haunted me still and it made me realize I didn’t want people putting themselves in harm’s way to protect me any more.
Lexi didn’t seem convinced. “You might be better off saving yourself for the next Elimination Challenge,” she said. “You do know that clips of you getting hit in the face by a fish probably aren’t going to save you from that?”
“Yeah,” I said. “But if I win, there won’t be an Elimination Challenge.”
“If you win,” she agreed. “I don’t mind doing them, you know. It takes my mind off…” Lexi’s voice trailed off.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said.
Suddenly our conversation with our parents came to the front of my mind. “How come you were skipping judo training?” I asked.
“What?” she said, the question catching her off guard. “Oh… I dunno…”
I thought I knew why. “You’ve got the Judo World Championships next year,” I said. “And you’re still training in karate and tae kwon do. And all three of your coaches are still expecting you to go to the Olympics, right? In three different sports?”
Lexi gave a shrug. “Yeah … well…” she said.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” I said. “And then you come here and pile even more on to yourself.”
Lexi turned away from me. Then her head started shaking. My first thought was that she was laughing because this seemed much likelier than what she was actually doing.
She was crying.
“Lexi?” I said, putting an arm round her shoulder.
“You’re right,” she mumbled. “It’s too much. It’s all too much.”
The last time I had seen my sister cry was when she had found out that Steve had left Apocalips. Of course, Steve hadn’t really left – he had been transported to an alternative dimension in front of my eyes as part of an elaborate plan to lure me into auditioning to join the band. And Lexi was under the band’s mind control at the time. So there was other stuff going on is what I’m saying. Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen her cry that wasn’t Horsewomen-related.
“I… I thought you liked your classes,” I said.
“I d-d-did,” she sobbed. “I d-d-do.”
“You’re so good at them,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s the problem,” she said, wiping snot off her nose. “They want me training all the time. It’s either that or school. That’s all I do. I hardly see my friends or my family. Amy doesn’t even bother calling me any more because I’m always busy. I thought this stupid show might give me a break but there’s just too much pressure. Either I’m trying to figure out what people at home are thinking about me or I’m worrying about the next challenge…”
Lexi burst into tears again. I didn’t say anything. I just pulled her towards me and we sat there together, her head pressed against my chest.
After a while, she sat upright.
“Better?” I asked.
She nodded.
“You know, no one will think any less of you if you were to give up some of your classes,” I said. “Or even all of them.”
Lexi wiped her eyes. “I’ll think about it,” she said. “But right now I’m going to go to bed. You probably should too.”
I had considered sneaking out to look for the hooded figures again but there was an inflection in Lexi’s last sentence that made it sound like she thought that would be a bad move. Given how the day had gone so far, she was probably right.
“Just make sure you win,” she said as she pulled open the zi
p to her tent. “I’ve had enough of this place. Can’t believe I cried on TV. Ugh.”
Voice: That was quite an emotional moment with your sister last night.
Sam: [Nods]
Voice: You don’t want to talk about it?
Sam: Why would I want to do that? It was private.
Voice: [Pause] You are aware this is a reality TV show?
Sam: That doesn’t mean I have to tell you about everything I’m thinking or every emotion I have.
Voice: [Longer pause] Seriously, have you ever even watched one of these shows?
The following day my prediction came true. Cruul volunteered for the challenge.
The trek into the jungle was the furthest we had gone yet. By the time we came to a stop, the forest was so dense you could barely make out the sky.
“For most of us this is as far as we go,” said Donald. “But for Sam and Nigel this is just the beginning of their journey.”
“For the second Golden Challenge,” continued Ronald, “the two of you will embark upon a quest deep into the heart of the jungle, to find the tree that stands alone. Find the Golden Artefact hidden within, bring it back here and you’ve won. It’s as simple as that.”
“Not quite,” said Ronald. “For patrolling the forest is none other than EL DEMONIO!”
“El De-what-now?” asked Milo.
“EL DEMONIO!” boomed Donald. “The most fearsome beast to ever roam the earth. Next to him, the tyrannosaurus rex would seem like a fluffy little poodle.”
“What is El Demonio exactly?” I asked.
This drew knowing smiles on the faces of the two presenters. “Oh, don’t worry, you’ll know when you see him.”
“Two more things,” put in Ronald. “You’ll both be provided with backpacks, containing provisions. You probably won’t need them but just in case El Demonio gives you more trouble than expected at least you shouldn’t go hungry. Now since it’s far too unsafe for us to follow you past this point, we’ll be filming you remotely.”
We all looked up to see a small drone, not much bigger than a pigeon, hovering in the air. It made a faint buzzing sound, a bit like an electric toothbrush.
“Hang on,” I said. “It’s too unsafe for you lot but not for us?”
“Oh no,” said Donald. “It’s totally unsafe for you too but it’s your challenge. No point in us all risking our lives.”
I couldn’t help but frown as I slipped on the backpack handed to me by one of the crew. By the sounds of it this challenge was shaping up to be just as dangerous as the others. Mum shouting at the producers clearly hadn’t made any difference.
“OK,” I said. “Let’s get this over with.”
“That’s the spirit, Sam,” said Ronald. “Nigel, are you ready?”
“Coming,” he said. “Be with you in a— OWW!”
“What’s wrong?” asked Donald.
“My ankle,” said Nigel, wincing in pain. “Think I’ve sprained it on a log. I’ll be fine, though. I’ll just have to walk it off.”
Ronald and Donald exchanged worried looks. “Nigel, you can’t compete,” said Donald.
“Donald’s right,” said Ronald. “You’ll have to let the doctor look at that.”
A couple of crew members rushed over to help Nigel hop back the way we had come.
“He’s faking it,” muttered Lexi.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“Because there was no log,” she said.
I had a quick look around. She was right. I couldn’t see any logs nearby, either.
Lexi’s face suddenly lit up. She turned to Ronald and Donald. “Hey, does that mean they forfeit? Does Sam win?”
“No chance,” said Ronald. “The Golden Challenge must be completed. Team Accelerate will have to pick someone else to take part.”
All heads turned to Milo.
“I’ll consult with the rest of my team, shall I?” he said, rolling his eyes. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Ronald, you know what this means?” said Donald, his eyes lighting up.
“I sure do, Donald,” he replied. “It’s BEST FRIEND VERSUS BEST FRIEND!”
As the drone buzzed above, Milo and I made our way deeper into the jungle, following the vague but ominous directions given to us by Ronald and Donald before we set out.
“Straight on until you find the tree that stands alone,” repeated Milo. “Or until El Demonio finds you.”
Our trip through the jungle with the rest of the group had been full of noise – rivers babbling, birds chirping, frogs croaking and monkeys screeching. But now all those sounds faded away until the only thing you could hear was our footsteps crackling on twigs and leaves, and the low hum from the drone.
“This is creeping me out,” I said.
“I know what you mean,” said Milo. “This place isn’t right.”
For a moment I had forgotten I was still angry with him. Why hadn’t he just come straight out and said there was no way he’d ever sign with Cruul? The only reason I could think was that he was actually giving it some thought.
Like Lexi I just wanted the show to be over. This was our chance. All Milo had to do was let me win. Before yesterday I would have been sure that he understood this but now I didn’t know where his head was at. I couldn’t very well ask him to throw the challenge. At best I’d be disqualified. At worst we’d both get the boot. And then all the pressure would be on Lexi’s shoulders, which was the last thing I wanted to burden her with.
But I still wanted to make sure we were on the same page, at least for this. I had to send him some kind of signal.
“Why do you keep winking at me?” asked Milo as we stepped into a large clearing.
“Er … because… Wait, don’t move!” I said, pressing an arm against his chest. “What’s that over there?”
Milo followed my gaze. “Oh…”
“Is that some kind of pig?” I asked.
“A boar by the looks of it,” said Milo. “The tiniest boar I’ve ever seen.”
Milo wasn’t exaggerating. The boar could only have been about half a metre tall with tiny tusks. And he was covered in fluffy dark brown hair, like he had just been through a tumble-dryer. While I would never go so far myself, I could definitely imagine some people throwing around the word cute to describe him.
“You have to admit, that is pretty cute,” said Milo.
“Milo, look what’s behind him,” I said.
In the middle of the clearing stood a solitary tree. Its trunk was as wide as a car and seemed to spiral all the way up to the clouds.
“That’ll be the tree that stands alone then,” said Milo. “But you don’t think that little guy is—”
“El Demonio?” I laughed. “Don’t be daft. Look at the size of him. He’s harmless… He’s … he’s charging right at us. Why is he doing that?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Milo. “I suppose we could stand here and discuss it if you wanted. Or we could run.”
We both bolted for it, heading back the way we had come. The boar’s squealing was getting louder and louder as he pursued us through the undergrowth.
“He’s getting closer,” I shouted. Then, maybe it was the adrenaline, but something popped into my head. “Milo?”
“What?” he shouted back.
“We got to speak to our parents after the last Golden Challenge!” I yelled.
“That’s nice!”
“Mum asked if you had spoken to me yet!” I bellowed. “What was she talking about?”
“For crying out loud, Sam!” screamed Milo. “We’re getting chased through a jungle by a psychotic pig. Do you really think now is the time?”
“Sorry! You’re right. What are we going to do?”
“We should split up,” he cried. “It can’t chase both of us at once. Look, there’s a fork in the path up ahead. I’ll go left, you go right. One of us should be able to double back and get the artefact.”
I practically skidded down the path. Then I realized what he had ju
st said. Milo was planning on getting the artefact. Surely he knew he had to lose? I looked round but he had already gone.
What was he doing? Now I had to actually win.
I turned again, cutting through a bush and running back towards the lone tree. I couldn’t hear the boar squealing any more. I looked over my shoulder but saw no sign of him. Had he gone after Milo? Just as I began to worry about my best friend, I tripped and went tumbling to the forest floor. I sat up and turned to see what I had stumbled over snorting back at me.
Up close the boar did not look cute at all. There was a look of viciousness about him that I hadn’t seen since Vicky Heatherstone and his tusks looked as sharp as knives.
“Nice boar,” I said as he stared menacingly at me, grinding his hooves into the dirt. Slowly and without breaking eye contact I tried to get to my feet. I was halfway up when the pig let out an almighty scream that was enough to knock me back to the ground. He was toying with me. My only chance was to run for it.
“WHAT’S THAT?” I yelled, pointing into the bush.
The boar swung his head to look. Sometimes the simplest tricks work the best.
Seconds later I heard another screech. I didn’t speak boar but I could guess El Demonio wasn’t best pleased. I didn’t look back as I shot through the jungle, eventually bursting into the clearing.
There was no sign of Milo as I sprinted for the tree. But with the world’s angriest pig hot on my tail there wasn’t much time to worry about that. I made a quick check around the base of the tree, then raised my head. About ten metres up I could see a little nook in the trunk. Could that be where the artefact was hidden? There was only one way to find out – I’d have to climb. This decision was made a lot easier by the fact that El Demonio had reappeared and was charging towards me like a pig scorned.
I grabbed hold of the nearest branch and started scrambling up the tree, just as El Demonio struck the trunk at full speed. I felt a shudder as the tree shook with the collision but somehow I managed to hang on.
