Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
The men lined up at the starting line with hockey sticks, and Josh counted down from three. If there wasn’t so much money on the line, it would have been comical to see pro players trying to slap their pucks through sand. The pucks either moved a few inches or got stuck.
“Horseshit!” one of the players yelled, pounding his stick against the sand.
My heart hammered as I pressed both hands over my mouth, rooting for Archer for the first time in eight years. Other women yelled encouragement to their partners, but all I could do was watch and silently hope.
Suddenly, Archer hunched his shoulders and took off. Rather than hitting the puck with the stick, he kept the stick on it, easing it over the sand as he ran.
Other players saw him and imitated his strategy, but Archer kept his head start. When he reached the goal, he shot the puck into it and a red lamp on top lit up. He grabbed the flag and took off toward me.
I thought I might be sick. I’d played volleyball in middle school and would never forget spiking the ball into the net and losing a big game for my team. I couldn’t bear the thought of choking this time, not with so much on the line.
As Archer approached, holding the flag out toward me, I took a deep breath in and let it out.
“Come on, Lo,” he said, passing me the flag. “Keep your head in it.”
I tucked the flag into the side of my bikini bottoms and tied it into a loose knot, wanting my arms free for swimming. Then I ran into the water, hearing other women close on my heels.
Swimming fast was hard. I could see other swimmers in my peripheral vision, but I remembered Archer’s words and focused on every stroke.
Finally, I made it to a floating platform, winded as I hauled myself out of the water onto the wood planks.
Someone was jumping up and down and cheering on another platform nearby—Andrea. I’d known she would win. Frantically, I untied the flag from my suit and attached it to the empty pole, looking around to see how I’d fared.
There were still women in the water. I counted flags. I’d come in sixth.
Sixth! Me. I covered my face with my hands, crying tears of relief. Somehow, I’d done it.
Once the last two teams to finish were confirmed, Josh gave us the okay to swim back. Again, I was gassed when I finished. And damn, was it hot here. I put my hands on my knees and took in a few deep breaths.
“Great job, Lo,” Archer said, patting me on the back.
I stood and gave him an apologetic look. “I lost your lead.”
He shrugged. “You did what you needed to do. We’re still here.”
Josh made a show of telling Rod and Andrea about the prize they’d won, reaching into the wood chest and pulling out pillows, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the kicker—a giant tin of beef jerky.
I groaned, my stomach growling.
“Don’t sweat it,” Archer said. “That stuff’s loaded with sodium.”
He loved beef jerky.
Josh let us fill our canteens from a giant water cooler and then sent us back to camp. We were rationing our rice, so I didn’t even have that to look forward to.
“I was thinking fish for lunch?” Archer said over his shoulder as he led the way. “Maybe with a side of fish, and for dessert, some more fish?”
I smiled. Maybe he belonged a notch above Voldemort on my list of Worst People Ever.
CHAPTER FIVE
Day Four—Fourteen teams remaining
Archer
The rice cooking over the fire might as well have been a filet mignon fresh from the grill. It was Day Four, and I already had a newfound appreciation for food.
I wouldn’t complain, though. This was nothing compared to what my grandpa went through for seven months in a POW camp. Unlike him, I’d chosen to be here. I could also tap out at any time—not that I would.
Waiting for the rice to absorb the last of the simmering water, I looked over the ocean to the skyline. I’d woken up right after sunrise, but the sky was still painted shades of orange and pink. I’d been close to my grandpa my whole life, but as I felt the weakness that inevitably sets in from not getting enough to eat, a new bond formed.
“Hey,” Lauren said, walking out of our shelter.
“Morning. How’d you sleep?”
She picked up a canteen and drank from it, then answered. “Like a rock. If nothing else, I know that walking around the jungle and sweating off a gallon of water helps me sleep.”
After yesterday’s competition, we’d spent the afternoon looking for treasure chests, but we’d come up empty. There was no competition today, so we planned to fish and search for chests in a new location.