Cane grinned. He’d noticed her stare and while he’d found it strange at first, he couldn’t look away from the concentration her features held during the competition. It was both inspiring and, well, attractive. “You’re welcome. Glad to help. What happened in that last round? I was rooting for you.”
“I couldn’t see you anymore. With Grace on my back I couldn’t raise my head enough.”
Cane nodded. “I see.” He scooted his chair closer to the cot and leaned toward her, his elbows on his knees. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course.” Megan folded and unfolded her fingers in her lap while staring at her knees.
“I was going to apologize when I got the chance.”
Her confused eyes met his momentarily. “Apologize. Why?”
“You might have felt like I was staring at you in the informational meeting. And now, I realize you were the exact same thing for me that I was for you in the competition. A focal point.”
“I . . . I didn’t mind.”
“Neither did I.” Cane tried to catch a glimpse of her eyes as the wind played with the tent flap.
Megan couldn’t believe what she was doing. She’d spent a good twenty-five minutes talking herself into walking over to his tent and another five minutes convincing herself to knock. She never initiated social situations! And now, here she was sitting on Cane’s cot inside his tent while the rest of the beach slept. She usually ran from situations like this, but she felt drawn to him. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t a contestant on the show. Maybe she was more relaxed because the cameras weren’t whirring around her. She could be awkward in front of him without setting off a domino effect and ruining her chances of advancing on The Leftover.
Silence settled around them. Megan had said what she came to say and she didn’t know where to go from there. The idea that Cane used her as a focal point in the same manner she had used him thrilled her. A man—and a cute one at that—had actually noticed her!
Just as it became too much for her to stand, Cane broke the silence.
“Want to make a deal?”
Megan leaned back on his cot and inspected his ears so she wouldn’t have to look directly at him. “What kind of deal?”
“People have already started forming alliances out there.” Cane tilted his head in the direction of the beach. “What if you and I have one of our own on the side?”
“That sounds interesting. What would it entail?”
“Oh, nothing much really. Let’s just promise to help each other through these next few days. You know, if I have to stand in front of the group, I’ll look at you. If you need help in a competition, you can stare at me.”
Megan chuckled. “I think I can agree to that.” She rocked forward on the cot and stood to leave.
“What if we take it one step further?”
Megan shifted her eyes back and forth on the tent wall behind Cane. “How so?”
“Friends. I’d like for us to be friends. I can be your sounding board when you need an ear.”
“And I can give you advice on, well, medical stuff.” Megan glanced at the nearby textbook.
Cane laughed. “Yeah, you can choose the color on the band aids . . . if anyone ever gets hurt.”
“Oh, they will if I have anything to say about it.” Megan’s eyes widened as she blushed. “I mean, I’m not wishing any ill will on anyone, I just . . .”
Cane stood and put his hand on her shoulder. “I know. So, what do you say?”
The warmth of his fingers radiated through her shirt. His touch was so different from Andrew’s. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” She stuck her hand out and bumped her fingers against his midsection. “Sorry.” She stared at her feet. She had talked more with Cane than most people on the beach, but touching anyone’s abs was still out of her comfort zone.
Before she could withdraw her hand, Cane’s hand enveloped it and firmly pumped it up and down.
“Why do I have the feeling this is a match made in heaven?”
Megan tore her eyes from her feet and forced herself to look at Cane. What did he mean by that? Her eyes drifted to the curls just above his eyes. She wanted to touch them and see if they were as soft as they looked. But that would be creepy.
She shook her head. The lack of food must be getting to her. “I . . . I better get back. I have a lot of people to, well, not talk to.”
Cane’s fingers slid from her hand. “Good luck tonight, Megan. I’ll be around if you need anything. Medically or otherwise.”
“Right. And you know where I’ll be too.”
“That I do.”
Megan pointed two fingers at her eyes and then over to Cane to indicate she was keeping her eyes on him as she backed out of his tent. When she turned back to the beach, she shook her head. “You’re such a geek,” she scolded herself.
But at least she’d talked to him. It had taken her half an hour to do so, but she’d done it. It was a good first step. Approaching a man like that was a big deal. And now they were officially friends. At his suggestion. She almost didn’t care if she went home that night. Except that would mean no more Cane.
Chapter Twelve
The group worked together during the afternoon to build a fire pit between the two shelters. They needed to get a fire going so they could boil water from the bay and stay hydrated. The hot Nebraska sun was draining their energy and every drop of sweat they produced pooled on their skin like glue that never dried. They needed water . . . and fast. Then they would worry about food.
Megan knew the bay was filled with all kinds of fish. If they could fashion a rod out of sticks, maybe they could catch something to cook over the fire. But that all depended on whether or not they had a fire.
Juan, Nathan, Andrew, and Leo had been rubbing sticks together over dried out leaves for two hours. Sometimes they managed to get smoke, and once even a spark, but nothing that had staying power.
Megan had an idea, but she hated to insert herself into the macho man hour, and she didn’t want to come across as pushy. However, her need for water overruled everything else.
“I don’t know if this would work . . .” She approached tentatively.
Leo gave her a tired smile, but the other men gathered around the pit scowled at Megan as she interrupted their stick rubbing.
“But maybe if we use my glasses . . .”
“You think we can start a fire with your glasses?” Andrew scoffed.
Megan shrugged. “Might be worth a try. I know what you’re doing can work, but it hasn’t yet and it will be elimination time soon. We’d probably all be better off with a little water before voting.”
The normal Megan would have slunk off to the lean-to after the look Andrew gave her, but the thirsty Megan wasn’t backing down. Her primal side was overpowering her meek nature.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll try my idea on this side of the pit, okay?” Megan grabbed a few dry leaves and twigs and made a pile away from the stick-rubbers.
The men went back to their method and Megan removed her glasses. She poked a hole in a large leaf with a sharp stick and held the leaf against her glasses. She looked up at the sun and angled the glasses just so. The hours she and her sister watched Survivor just might pay off. She never would have known how to do this without the recent binge.
Megan tried to hold her hand steady as the hot sun did its work. She had no idea if her severe astigmatism would help. She knew its hindrance in everyday life, that was for sure.
She squinted at the leaves below her lenses. Was that smoke? Without her glasses on, it was hard to tell. She bent over the pile and blew softly. Yes, it was definitely smoke. Her eyes widened as a small spark lit the edge of a leaf. She blew again and the leaf burst into flames.
“Guys! Guys!” she called.
Tank appeared at her side. “She’s got fire!”
“Way to go, Megan!” Grace called from the outskirts of the pit. “She did it, everyone.”
Megan stepped bac
k and placed her frames on her nose as Andrew and the other men added sticks and leaves to enlarge the flame she had started. First she had made it into the final two of the competition, then she had started the fire. Maybe she wasn’t so out of place on the beach. She smiled.
Once the fire burned hot, Grace and Megan took the buckets from the challenge down to the bay to fill up with water.
“Have you heard the talk around camp?” Grace asked.
Megan shook her head. “Is it about any of us?” The elimination was looming. Andrew was safe and since eight people were together under the beach shelter, the four lean-to people assumed they’d be picked off one by one.
“Apparently Tank didn’t take kindly to losing the log-walking competition to Lucy. It seems as if everyone on the beach is in agreement that she’ll be the first to go.”
“Not any of us?” Megan was incredulous.
Grace shrugged. “Not unless they’re trying to pull a fast one.”
“Does Lucy know?”
“I think they told her they were voting for Leo because he’s the oldest.”
“But they see Lucy as a bigger threat and they still have the numbers so they figure why not keep Leo and get rid of someone they might not be able to beat.” Megan worked the plan through out loud.
“Exactly.” Grace bent over and filled her bucket.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with the mind games.”
“You’ll do fine. Besides, you’re not alone.” Grace smiled as Megan thought about her conversation with Cane. “You’ve got the lean-to crew.”
Megan giggled. “Is that what we’re calling ourselves?”
“Could be worse.”
Megan scooped water out of the bay and balanced a bucket in each hand. “It has been worse.”
“Let’s get this water boiled and have a drink. I prefer drinks with lots of ice in this weather, but right now, I’d lick the sweat off Tank if it weren’t so salty.”
Megan winced. “That’s a visual I’m not going to get over anytime soon.”
Grace laughed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to traumatize you. I’m just thirsty. Getting a drink will help us forget how hungry we are.”
Megan’s stomach rumbled. “Really?”
“It can’t hurt.”
The two women of the lean-to crew delivered the water and partook of their share once it was boiled and safe to drink. The group sat far enough away from the fire to avoid its heat, but close enough so they could keep an eye on it so it wouldn’t die down.
The dune buggy’s motor startled all of them as the sun began to hide behind the horizon. Half of them stood as Wendy Weathersby appeared in a bright yellow pantsuit and high-heeled sandals.
“How’s everyone doing out here?” she called without exiting her vehicle.
Contestants shrugged, waved, and grunted in response.
“Great!” Wendy answered. “The elimination area is set up on the other side of the medic tent. Take a few minutes to gather yourselves and meet me over there for our first elimination. Is anyone else as excited as Wendy Weathersby?”
Grace and Nathan shouted enthusiastically while the others shifted their feet in the sand with nervous energy. Even though everyone thought they knew who was getting eliminated tonight, it would be hard to relax until after the votes were counted.
“Okay, then. It’s a date! See you in a few.” Wendy took off in the cart and left the contestants to fend for themselves.
“Let’s do this thing!” Tank beat his fists against his chest.
“Ouch,” Megan muttered as she fell in with the group. When they neared the medic tent, she flitted her gaze to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cane. His curly hair bobbed through the entrance as the contestants reached the far side of the beach. Megan raised her hand in a wave and Cane winked.
Ahead of her, Carson said, “Wow, this is really something.”
She leaned around him to take in the transformed area, her eyes widening.
A large rock for each contestant was set in a semi-circle in front of a small platform. A fire burned in the center and Wendy stood on a board at the opening of the circle. “Welcome to the first elimination of the season. Take a seat on a rock, and we’ll get started.”
Megan sat on a medium-sized boulder, and Andrew and Tank took their seats on either side of her.
“How has the first day been?” Wendy asked.
Andrew didn’t wait a beat before voicing his opinions. “This is a phenomenal group,” he said as he adjusted his tie around his neck. Megan didn’t remember when he had removed it from his head. “We’ve worked together well and we’ve really come together as a team.”
Megan held back a snort. A team working well together would have only one shelter.
“I noticed two shelters over there.” Way to go, Wendy. “What’s that all about, Grace?”
“Well, Andrew insisted we build a shelter on the beach, but I thought it might be better to use the natural shelter of the trees as protection for whatever we built. A few people in the group agreed with that idea, but since Andrew wasn’t willing to bend, some of us built a shelter of our own.”
“Ooh, I sense a rift in the group. Is there a separation forming, Tank?”
Tank ran his hand over his bicep, which looked flexed even when he was relaxed. “I don’t know, but I’m definitely on the right side. I mean, there’s more of us than them.”
“Us . . . them . . . sounds like a separation to me. Leo, you’re with those along the tree line. How does it feel to have fewer numbers?”
“I have more numbers than anyone here, age wise,” he replied, smiling. “But really, I’m okay with the numbers. The game is just beginning. Anything can happen.”
“I heard that you were essential to getting the fire started, is that right, Megan?” Wendy leaned in her direction.
Megan’s pulse raced. Her sister told her to float through the first day and try to blend in and what had she done? Started a fire for the group. That might be enough to put a target on her.
“I wouldn’t say that, Wendy.” Megan shuffled her feet and studied the small flames in the center of the circle. “Everyone in the group worked very hard so we could have a drink.”
“But you had the idea to use your glasses.”
“I . . . I guess.”
Wendy moved on. “Does anyone think there will be any surprises with the vote tonight?”
“I think we all know what we’re doing,” Kat said, lounging back on her rock. “We don’t know each other very well yet and it’s more about making us strong as a group.”
Megan squinted through the smoke in the air. Kat was making it sound like Leo was the obvious choice since he was the oldest.
“No one’s thought about those who might be a threat in other ways? Megan started the fire, after all, and almost won protection.”
Thanks, Wendy.
Grace cleared her throat. “Megan is a huge asset to the group. I think we just want to get through this first vote without causing too many waves. It’ll get interesting soon enough.”
Megan made a mental note to thank Grace later.
“Okay, well, if everyone knows what they want to do, let’s vote.” Wendy rubbed her hands together in excitement. “There’s a wooden box on the podium. Take a few minutes to cast your vote one at a time and reveal your vote only to the camera near the podium. When all the votes are in, we’ll see who the first person to leave the show will be. Carson, when you’re ready, you can go first.”
Megan watched as the group voted one by one. At first, she tried to guess what each person wrote by the way they moved their hand. It wasn’t like reading lips, though, and it was dark enough that she couldn’t see well enough to tell anything at all. When it was her turn, her hand shook as she held the pen above the paper. She wrote the name down and held it up for the camera.
“Sorry, Lucy.” Megan spoke softly. “I didn’t get a chance to know very much about you and you seem like a very sweet
girl. But I heard most of the group was going with you and I don’t want to do anything out of line at this point. I wish you the best of luck.” Megan folded her paper, placed it in the box and sat back down on her rock. Once the rest of the group voted, Wendy gestured for a crew member to bring her the box. She couldn’t step off her board into the sand, after all.
“I’ll read the votes one by one,” Wendy said as she pulled the first piece of paper out and opened it. “Leo.”
The second paper read Lucy and the third Leo. The vote went back and forth. After eleven votes were read, Lucy was ahead by one vote. The last vote would either bring it to a tie or eliminate Lucy. Megan held her breath.
“And the last vote,” Wendy paused to heighten the tension. “Lucy. I’m sorry, Lucy, you are not The Leftover. Please take a few moments to gather your belongings and leave the show.”
Lucy stood with tears in her eyes and walked away from the fire. She didn’t speak to anyone or say goodbye. Megan could tell she was hurt, but she was young and had a bright future ahead of her. She’d get over it and move on to the next adventure.
“I hope you all sleep well on your first night. Wendy Weathersby will see you in the morning for tomorrow’s competition.” Wendy stepped into her waiting orange dune buggy which spit sand as it took off.
The rest of the group sat in stunned silence. No one was surprised that Lucy had left except Lucy. But watching her walk away made the process more real.
Megan’s mind whirred. The vote told her several things. First, she didn’t want to come off too strong or they’d see her a threat and take her out. Second, the group on the beach wasn’t united. Assuming all of the lean-to crew voted for Lucy, that meant a majority of the beach group had voted for Leo.
Megan smiled as the contestants stood and began to shuffle to the shelters on the other side of the beach. Perhaps her crew had more power than she thought.
“Danae, Sabrina, you’re on fire watch,” Andrew ordered. Danae looked like she might protest, but Sabrina tugged her toward the fire.
The Leftover Page 8
