All-Star Survivor: Greece Episode #10 Left For Dead

Taygete Tribe: Ryan Aiken, Jessie Camacho, Stephanie Dill
Alkyone Tribe: Gabriel Cade, Ramona Gray, Peter Harkey, Tanya Vance

DAY 28




Gabriel Cade picked up a rock, looking for shellfish underneath.

The four members of Alkyone were on a food hunt this morning. They were all here, Ramona, Tanya, Peter and Gabe, as they scoured the western shore of their beach for something to eat. It was an activity that -needed- to take place. This was something that absolutely had to happen, because they were all hungry. With their fruit supply running low, and their fishing output mediocre at best, the Alkyones were simply running out of food.

Again.

"We went through a hard period," explained Gabe, as he picked up yet another rock, "Where we had no food. We lost our boat, and all of a sudden we had no fish. And that was tough." He tossed the rock aside. No luck with that one. "Then we caught our sheep, and had our little 'twist' feast, and things got better. They got a lot better. For a while, anyway. But now..." he sighed. "We're back to a primarily fruit diet, and we're all starting to waste away."

Despite Peter's crude new fishing net, the team just wasn't getting enough calories to make up for the energy they were expending every day. They were down to their last pile of fruit, and Tanya had already reported slim pickings out among the trees of the island. The four of them were starting to run out of options, at a time in the game where they really needed to be at full strength.

It almost made Gabe want to do another sheep hunt.

"We just don't have the energy," he continued, "To go swimming out to Maia again. We just don't. Not to mention that I don't know -who- here could plunge a knife into a living animal." He smiled. "I mean, that's why Hunter was here. And John. But we're kind of slim in the... uh..." He paused, to think of the right word. "In the butcher department at the moment."

"Hey," called Peter, from the waist deep surf just behind Gabe, "Maybe we could use Ryan. Can we get him back? I bet he would do it."

Gabriel smiled over at his friend.

"I'm sorry," said Gabe, "-You- want Ryan back here?"

"Not particularly."

"Hey Tanya," called Gabe, "You want Ryan over here today?"

"Um..." she called back, smiling. "Do we have to?"

"What about you, Mona?"

Ramona looked up from her task. A small pile of shellfish in her hands, she saw Gabriel smiling at her. He had obviously asked her some sort of a question. She had been so focused on catching the little clamlike dudes, that she hadn't been listening.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"What do you think about Ryan?" called Gabe.

"Look," she said, holding her hands up helplessly, "Whatever you guys have against Ryan is between all of y'all. I never met the guy. We just knew him from the challenges."

"I bet you hated him," said Peter, grinning. "You guys had to."

Tanya and Gabriel also grinned at her, as the three friends from Alkyone stared at Ramona, waiting for her answer.

"We couldn't -stand- him," she finally admitted. "I couldn't believe he made it all the way to the twist. What were you guys thinking?"

"Cause he was funny," admitted Peter. "Comic relief."

Ramona didn't understand, so Tanya explained.

"Ryan was always tryin' to pull together some sort of alliance," she said. "He was always spinnin' his wheels, and goin' on about how he just needed a little luck and so on. And it was all just so -ridiculous-. Everyone used to kind of laugh at him, behind his back."

Peter started cracking up, thinking about Ryan's big grand plans.

"Peter was the worst," Tanya smiled. "Look at him. He still laughs at Ryan."

"I'm sorry," said the tall man, as he giggled uncontrollably. "I can't help it."

"Ryan was fun to have around," admitted Gabe. "It was kind of like..." he struggled to find the perfect comparison. "Like keeping a hamster in a wheel. You watch this poor thing run around and around and around, and it never gets anywhere. But you know it's just gonna keep on trying, because it doesn't know any better."

Tanya started laughing. That was a -perfect- analogy! That was Ryan Aiken in a nutshell.

"And you can't really take the wheel out," Gabe finished, "Because the hamster loves to do it so much. So he'll just keep on running, and running. And you start to feel bad after a while, until you realize it's kind of funny. So you just watch this thing working its butt off, and you smile. Because it's all so pointless. So..." He smiled. He loved to use the big SAT words when he had a chance. "So Sisyphian."

"And sometimes," added Peter, "The hamster climbs up to the top and the wheel tips over, and he falls on his butt."

Ramona was giggling now, too, caught up in the good spirits of the Alkyone men. The two of them, Gabe and Peter, always seemed to be in a good mood, with smiles on their faces. They seldom got upset, and in fact, she didn't think she had -ever- seen Gabriel lose his cool. He just didn't ever seem to go up or down.

It was no wonder that Tanya was nuts about him. Gabriel was as even-tempered as they came.

"Well, speak of the devil," said Gabe, as he noticed some movement across the sea. And there was the man himself, walking across Taygete beach. Ryan Aiken. The pride of Greece.

Ryan walked along the shore, his shirt off, as he talked with Jessie Camacho. The two of them appeared to be quite chummy, talking and laughing, although they hadn't seen the Alkyones looking over yet. They didn't realize they were being watched.

"They -both- survived the vote?" asked Peter, as he squinted to see across the water.

"Wow," said Gabe, quietly.

"So who went then?" asked Ramona, as she counted off the names in her head. She had been sure that her friend Jessie would be going last night. After all, Jessie was the last Taygete over there. And to be quiet honest, she wasn't even all that likeable, or useful, to begin with. It should have been a no-brainer. But something appeared to have happened. Something must have forced them to change gears.

Or maybe, something just went wrong.

Terribly wrong.

"If they're left," said Gabe, soberly, "That means it was John or Steph. One of those two was booted instead." He was trying to figure out what had happened. How did Ryan survive that vote? And better yet, how had -Jessie- survived that vote?

But one person was watching the scene with more than just fascination. Sure, the others were curious, but Tanya Vance had a little more at stake in this sort of thing. After all, she and Steph were "secret pals." That was the friendship that nobody knew about. Not even Gabe. And John Raymond was her new alliance partner. Her final two guy. They had solidified it just two days ago, on the cruise ship. Surely it couldn't have been him. No way. Not John.

Could it?

But with Steph and John tied to her, Tanya thought that she had two allies. Two -strong- allies. The kind who could help her take out Gabriel and Peter, if that was needed. And all of a sudden, her plans would have to change. Because one of her friends was now missing... and her stomach was suddenly starting to hurt. This wasn't looking good at all.

"Hold on," said Gabe, as he spotted some movement up near the Taygete camp. "Someone's up there."

They saw Stephanie Dill. Her long, lean frame was easily identifiable, as she walked out to do some laundry.

That meant John Raymond was gone.

And that was when the pit finally fell out of Tanya Vance's stomach.




^^




Stephanie Dill washed her clothes, unhappily, as she stared out to sea.

"It aint fun no more," she said, bitterly, as she pulled a red T-shirt out of the sea. She took it out, half-drenched, and plunged it into a bucket of fresh water. After all, you couldn't let your shirt dry with sea salt all over it, or else it would become a hardened, crispy lump. You had to rinse it off afterwards with some of the fresh water supply.

"The game was goin' great," she admitted, as she washed off a pair of her black shorts, "We were doin' great. John and me. Fishin' buddies." She stopped, and scowled. John was gone now. And with her closest ally out of the game, it was now looking pretty grim indeed.

"We had 'em. We had 'em all," she continued. "And now...."

She glanced over across the beach, at the pair of Ryan and Jessie. The two of them. They were the ones who were responsible for this. They were the ones who had ripped the rug right out from under her feet. Jessie with her lying and her manipulation, and Ryan with his unabashed desire for power.

And frankly, she hated them both at the moment.

"Ryan wanted to talk to me," she said, "This mornin'. And I told him to go piss off. I didn't want to say nothin' to him, I just didn't care." Stephanie sighed. In effect, she had essentially given up. Far from being the warrior that John had expected, an angry woman who would one day avenge her friend , Stephanie had chosen to go the other way instead. The toils of the game, the harshness of the environment, and the deceit she had encountered the past few days... none of this had been any fun. This wasn't the type of game she wanted to play anymore.

And now, she really just wanted to go home.

"Jessie's smart enough not to come over and try to explain herself," Steph smiled, a tiny bit of gleam still alight in her eye. "She knows she's in some deep shit now, and knows I want to slug her. So she's stayin' away. Like she probably should."

Stephanie smiled to herself, and decided she was done talking for the moment. That was the way she worked. When her confessionals were over, she just tended to clam up. No more words, and it was up to the producers to decide if she was done or not. And usually, they would let her get away with it.

But not today.

"What about your deal with Tanya?" asked a voice from behind the camera. "What can you tell us about that?"

Stephanie looked up, and smiled. It was her mysterious little smile that they all knew so well by now.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," she said. "Tanya don't talk to me none. I barely even know her."

You see, Stephanie and Tanya's secret little joke had begun as a dare. It had started as a "I bet we can't get away with this" type of joke, with the two women laughing and giggling as they had planned it over the phone, so many months ago. And they had even gone so far as to let -no one- in on their secret. Not the producers, not the camera crew, not even Mark Burnett himself. None of them had known. And when Tanya had spilled the beans to John Raymond a few days ago, the production crew had nearly fallen out of their chairs. They had all been caught completely with their pants down.

Tanya? And Stephanie?

In cahoots?

In response, Mark Burnett had thrown together an emergency meeting of the camera crew, with one expressed purpose in mind. They only had one goal for the next few days: -To documenting this plot on camera.-

"Get them to talk about it!" he had ordered. He had been furious. "I don't care how you do it, but get this plan on film, or you're all fired! Every last one of you!"

So with that directive in mind, the producer pressed on. He wasn't going to let Stephanie wiggle off the hook. Not this time. She was sly, but she wasn't -that- sly.

"So is it true?" he asked. "Did you plan it, or did she?"

Stephanie wasn't talking.

"Do you think that other people are on to you guys? Other than John?"

No reply.

"What if Tanya told other people? Do you think she squealed?"

Stephanie grimaced. But she didn't say a word.

"Do you think it will help you in the long run?"

"Yeah," Stephanie said finally, as she stood up. She had her laundry basket in her hand, and was ready to beat a quick retreat back to camp. "I dunno. Maybe."

"So what's the deal?" asked the producer. "Are you two an alliance?"

"You'd have to ask her," Steph said, as she started walking back. "It's her deal. I just thought it would be funny, that's all."

"So you're saying it's true?"

"Hell, yeah," Steph said. "We're good friends. I can't believe no one knew that." She started laughing, maybe the first laugh she had experienced in the past 48 hours. "They all fell for it. Every one of 'em."

"Do you think everyone is still fooled?" asked the producer, as he ran to keep up with her. "Do you think any of them have figured it out yet?"

"I don't care," she said, as she reached camp. "They can think what they want."

Then she stopped. She had something she wanted to ask him, since he was being so nosy and all. Might as well get some info from him as well. So she whirled around.

"Hey, are we mergin' today?"

Just like her, he only smiled a mysterious little smile. He wasn't going to say a word.

"Screw you," she said. Then she made a shooing motion with her hand. "Just go away."



^^




The day passed slowly and uneventfully, all the way up to dinner time. Both teams expected a merge. They all expected it to happen today. Or, at the very least, they expected some sort of announcement. But none came. Despite their hourly runs for tree mail, nothing ever showed up.

No challenge.

No merge.

No news.

Nothing.

"No merge?" asked Ryan, as he walked with Jessie. This was their fifth tree mail check of the day-- and he was beginning to get frustrated. He wanted something to happen. -Anything.- Because they all knew it was coming soon, and they all wanted to know when it would be. The uncertainty could, quite simply, drive you mad if you were trying to plan this game out to the end.

"I don't know," said Jessie, as she shivered against the cool Greek air. She was bundled up in a soft wool jacket, as the temperature had cooled down significantly after dinner. It wasn't as cool as the attitude Stephanie had been throwing her all evening, true, but it was still chilly nonetheless.

The three members of Taygete had eaten the last of their pet chickens tonight. It had been the large whitish one, the biggest of the bunch, and they had finished the birds off in style, with a large feast. As expected, the bird had been absolutely delicious. Just like all the others.

"I'm glad we ate 'em all," joked Ryan, "Before the merge. Cause I didn't want them eating our food. Go eat your fruit and leave our chickens alone."

Jessie laughed.

"I think they're all vegetarians anyway," she said. "That's what Steph said once. I don't think they would know what to do with 'em anyway."

Ryan snorted, laughing. Good point.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Ryan, as he finally reached the clearing. He glanced over at the tree mail box, and saw something protruding out of it. And it looked like a small wooden boat.

"A boat!" said Jessie, as she bounded over to take it out. She stood with the boat in her hands, admiring it, although there was no visible message written anywhere on it. It was just a boat.

"There's a note here too," said Ryan, as he fished it out of the bottom of the treemail box. He pulled it out and read it aloud.

"There is no challenge today. Sorry for the delay, but all questions will be answered tomorrow."

He glanced at Jessie, who was trying to read it as well, over his shoulder.

"First thing tomorrow, meet at your beach. You will be taken out to sea. You will receive instructions then."

Ryan turned it over. But there was nothing on the back. So that was that. That was all they were going to get.

"I think," said Jessie, "That it sounds like a merge. I think we're merging tomorrow."

"And then it's a big free-for-all for twenty-four hours," finished Ryan.

Jessie nodded.

Ryan stared off across the sea, watching the opposing team's island with interest. He had taken more and more of a passing interest in what was going on over there in the past three days. He had been paying attention. He had been watching. And he had been planning. All for the moment that he now expected to take place tomorrow morning.

"Are you still in good with Ramona?" he asked.

"I think so," she shrugged. "Won't know until we talk. But we've always been close."

"Good." He smiled. "Good."

With that, he turned around, and started back to camp. He walked briskly. It was obvious he had something to do.

"Where are you going?" Jessie asked, as she hurried to catch up with him.

"Gotta talk to Steph."

"Do you need me?"

"No," he said back. "Stay here. Or stay somewhere else. Don't come anywhere near camp. If you show up, it's not gonna happen at all." He paused. "She's likely to vote us both off, and laugh with glee at the same time."

"You think you can actually do something?" she asked. She was doubtful. Stephanie was quite subborn, and Ryan was not the smoothest talker in the world. This wasn't going to be easy.

"I have to," he said. "Gotta do damage control. And gotta do it now. No more time if we're merging tomorrow." He turned to look at her, a little angrily. She was still following him. And he told her to knock it off.

"Just stay here, would you? Steph hates you right now!"

"What, you think she doesn't hate -you- too?"

"Well, there's a difference," said Ryan. He looked at her, a large grin on his face. "Cause I'm charming."

And with a wink and a smile, Ryan headed back to camp. He was confident in his ability to talk some sense to the girl. After all, this was for a million dollars. This wasn't a popularity contest, this was a numbers game. They needed her, and she needed them. Simple as that.

Jessie stayed here in the clearing, all by herself. She was skeptical, highly skeptical, but this may be the only chance she had. This might be her only shot. She sighed, but knew it would be up to Ryan, and Ryan alone. It was a depressing thought, to put her faith in someone else, but she didn't appear to have much of a choice. Jessie Camacho was now a spectator.

And operation Charm Stephanie had officially begun.






DAY 29





Jeff Probst looked at his watch. It was 8:05 AM. Early, but not too early. He had expected both teams to be here by now, to join him on the Chalcis fishing boat. Unfortunately though, it looked like everyone was running a little late today. This was understandable, of course, given the weather conditions at the moment. It was pouring-- an absolute Aegean downpour. This was the heaviest rainfall they had received in a month, and it had to happen today, of all days.

"You guys are late," he said, as the first team had finally arrived. The four members of Alkyone pulled themselves up a rope ladder, one by one, and had soon joined him on the deck of the ship. He smiled at them, as they emerged from below, dripping wet, and covered with a motley assortment of raingear and heavy clothing.

"We got caught in the storm," said Peter, as he shook his bushy hair dry. The man from New England was covered in a dark blue rain poncho, which clung to him like a second skin.

"It's brutal out there," added Gabriel, as he removed his dark blue baseball cap. He shook it dry, taking full advantage of the tarp that covered them here on the boat. It was the first moment of dryness they had experienced all morning.

"Taygete's not here yet," said Jeff, over the howl of the wind and the rain hitting the tarp above him. "You guys can relax here for a few minutes. Just chill out, they should be over in a few."

With that, the four Alkyones stepped out of their rain slickers and ponchos, dried their hair, and laughed and joked about the heavy rains. The storm seemed to have come out of nowhere, in the middle of the night. Poor Tanya had been sleeping with her feet outside the shelter, and had been the first to awaken, with her feet drenched to the bone. She had quickly pulled herself up inside, with the rest of the team, but it had probably been too late.

And now, it looked like she had been correct. She could already feel a case of the sniffles coming on. And that was a bad sign. Especially for a girl who had had illness problems in the game before.

"Are we merging today?" asked Ramona. But Jeff simply smiled and shrugged, his prominent dimples adding an air of mischief to his face.

"You'll find out in about fifteen minutes," said the host, as he nodded off to the left of the ship. Sure enough, there were the Taygetes. Three of them, bravely fighting the heavy rain, as they were being ferried out by their oarsmen. Jessie sat in the front of the boat, huddled up under a dark green poncho. Only her eyes were visible, as she appeared to be wet, freezing, and miserable. Ryan sat just behind her, his smile visible under a white baseball cap. At least it appeared to have been white, at one time. With the amount of rain it had absorbed, it was now more gray, or cream colored.

And Stephanie Dill sat in the back, two seats behind Ryan. True to her stubborn nature, she wasn't even wearing rain gear. She wore her black sports bra, swim trunks, and a blue buff tied around her forehead. That was it. She stared vacantly out to sea, not appearing to give much of a crap about what was going on at the moment.

"Welcome, guys," said Jeff, as the Taygetes finally reached the Chalcis. They climbed up the rope ladder, one by one. Jessie. Then Ryan. Then Steph. They reached the dryness of the boat deck, greeted the players already there, and removed their rain gear. All of them except Steph, anyway.

And now, they were all ready to begin.

The final seven were now ready for the next stage of the game.

Jeff stood before them all now, his hands behind his back. Much like day one, when the teams had been drafted, or day nineteen, when the twist had occurred, Jeff was once again facing them all as a group. And something big was about to happen, just like before. Big things always happened when they assembled out at sea as a group.

"We have some exciting stuff planned for you," he continued. "But first off, I'd like to ask you a question." He paused, and looked over at Peter. Then he met Jessie's eyes. Then over to Ramona.

"Does anyone here want to merge today?"

He let the question hang in the air, just as he had three days ago. He waited, but no one piped up. No one said a word.

But then, one hand slowly raised up into the air.

Jeff looked over, and smiled at her. Stephanie Dill held her left arm high in the air, as she looked directly back at him.

"You want to merge?" Jeff asked.

"Shit, yeah." she said, without an ounce of humor in her voice. She said nothing else.

"Okay," said Jeff. He shrugged. "I guess that's it then." He smiled at them all. "Welcome to your new tribe. Now you are one."

After a moment of shocked silence, the seven players in the game exploded in an outburst of relief and accomplishment. They had done it. They had made the merge. Ramona and Tanya shared an exuberant hug. Peter walked over to introduce himself to Jessie. Gabriel shook hands with Ryan, welcoming him back. And Stephanie stood by herself, with a sly grin on her face. She was looking at Jeff, trying to catch his attention. Trying to say thanks.

"Congratulations," said Jeff, trying to talk over the group. He reached into a basket and pulled out seven buffs. Violet in color, they were beautiful. As electric and vibrant as the flowers rimming their islands, this would be their tribe color for the remainder of the proceedings. One by one, he tossed the violet buffs to the seven players left in the game.

Gabriel caught his with one hand, and wrapped it around his wrist.

Peter placed his around his neck, letting it hang down like a kerchief.

Jessie balled hers up in her fist, just hanging onto it for now.

Tanya tied her hair back with hers, making a ponytail.

Stephanie wrapped hers around her wrist, much like Gabe.

Ramona dropped hers, sheepishly picked it up, and then tied it over her head.

And Ryan fashioned a new headband out of his.

They were now a merged tribe. And the game would be individual from here on out. The game was about to kick up to a whole new level.

"You guys will have a few hours," said Jeff, "To get acquainted. You're supposed to pick an island and do it there... but..." He glanced out at the sky, which was still unleashing rain by the truckload. The sea around them was kicking up violently from the wind and rain. It was going to be hell out there.

"You guys can do all your planning here," he finished. "Stay here as long as you want. But I'm gonna need a few things from you before you leave." He counted the items off on his hand. "I'll need a new tribe name. I'll need a new tribe logo. And you'll need to give me a new island to live on. No more Taygete or Alkyone, pick one of the others, that will be your new home."

And with that, he bid them farewell. The Chalcis was now theirs. They could stay here for as long as they wanted, meet each other, strategize, and do whatever they needed to do.

But Jeff had to smile. Because he could already see Jessie and Ramona trying to mouth words across the boat to one another. Ryan and Tanya were doing it as well. Strategies were already being planned, and they had only been a tribe for...

Jeff looked at his watch.

Fifteen seconds.

Good luck, guys, he thought, with a wicked smile on his face. This should be a lot of fun.



^^




After a short period of chaos, with everybody talking at once, the tribe settled down into order. No one really wanted to take the spokesperson role, of course. They were all far too smart for that. No one wanted to stand up and say "Ok, here's how we're gonna do it." That would simply be suicide.

But in time, it appeared that -somebody- needed to step up and take control. It was nothing but chaos otherwise. So a reluctant Peter Harkey sighed, stood up, and tried to get everybody's attention. After all, he was the oldest. It was only natural that he would try to be the voice of reason here, at least for a little while.

"Okay you guys," he said, "I know we have a lot to do, but we should kinda try to get the major stuff decided fihst." He noted that people were quieting down to listen to him, which was good. So he continued. "We should probably pick our new island fihst. Where do you guys wanna live?"

No one really spoke up. As usual, people were playing meek when they all got together. So it was up to Peter to throw a name out there.

"How about Asterope? The one with all the grass and hills. You guys like that one?"

Several people nodded. Ramona seemed quite enthusiastic about the idea. That was where they had held the virgin cart races. It was by far the most beautiful of the islands, with its vibrant, rolling hills and pastoral, green meadows.

"What about Maia?" suggested Gabriel. "They have sheep there. We could catch some food if we had to."

Several people looked at him, so Gabriel simply shrugged. It was just an idea. And a practical one at that. Sure, Maia was the smallest island, but a fresh meat supply could make up for that if they wanted to take advantage of it.

"Maia's a girl's name," said Ryan, smiling. "Do we have to live on a girl island?"

"They're -all- girl names, techically," said Gabriel. "Some of them are just more Greek than the rest."

"Well, still," said Ryan. He laughed. "I'm just joking."

"So it's Maia or Asterope," summed up Peter. "Anyone got any other ideas?"

No one did.

With that, they took a vote. And despite the lushness of Asterope island, it was decided that they would live on Maia instead. The idea of fresh meat, just minutes away, was too tempting to pass up. Some of them were starving, especially Peter and Gabriel, who had subsisted mainly on fruit for the past week. But the promise of some fresh lamb chops was just too difficult to turn down. Maia it would be.

"So does that make us the Maia tribe?" asked Tanya.

Peter wrinkled his nose. Yuck.

"Ok," joked Ryan. "Girl island, -maybe-, but we need a new name, at least."

"Maia," said Gabriel, sounding it out. "Maaiiiiaaa." He shook his head. It didn't work. That wasn't a tribe name.

"Just start throwin' out some Greek words," suggested Peter. "See if something sounds good."

And with that, the great brainstorming session began. Sounds were uttered. Syllables were tested. Gabe tossed out some mythological names. And finally, Ramona remembered a Greek name she had once read in a book. She loved the sound of it, so she said it out loud.

"Xanthe."

"Oh, sweet," said Gabriel, visibly excited by the name. "Is that with an X?"

"Yeah," nodded Ramona. "I think he was a king or something."

"I vote for an X name," said Gabe, shooting his hand up in the air. "Anyone else want an X?"

Ryan smiled, and raised his hand. Stephanie's shot up too, as she loved the sound of the word. Soon, it was unanimous. The previous selections of "Adronikos" and "Medaxas" were discarded, and they went to work brainstorming X names. And soon, Tanya and Ryan came up with a name they were all happy with.

"Xanathos."

"That's it," said Peter, happily. "That's the one." He knew it was perfect the moment he heard it. And he noted most of the others were nodding in agreement. That was it, alright.

"Welcome," he said, a wide smile across his face, "To Xanathos."

"To Xanathos," said Ramona.

And with that, they now had a name.




^^




With the tribe name and the island having been decided, there was really not any more they could do. Stephanie had already volunteered to create a logo when they got to Maia, and paint it on their flag, so that was taken care of. And with the rain still coming down, no one wanted to go out yet.

So that meant it was time to socialize.

And Survivor being Survivor, socialization inevitably meant strategy. Soon, people were pairing off, walking along the deck of the boat in groups of two. They were trying to be inconspicuous, they really were. But it was hard not to start planning, when everyone else was doing it as well. Because if you didn't strategize, someone else would, and that would be bad for you in the long run.

So it was more or less self-preservation, if nothing else.

Jessie Camacho had pulled Ramona aside almost immediately, wanting to know what was up. They had tried to mouth messages to one another from the very start, but it had proven to be too difficult. Plus it was hard to do inconspicuously. So Jessie had finally given up, and basically decided, -screw it, let's just go for a walk.-

As Jessie and Ramona skirted off to the side of the boat, one person watched with great interest. One person had a great deal at stake here, greatly dependent on if the two women were to hit it off once again.

Ryan Aiken stood, talking with Gabriel and Peter. Ryan wasn't really listening, he was more or less nodding, trying his best to appear interested. No, he was more interested in Ramona and Jessie, as he watched them out of the corner of his eye. He was watching to see if they were getting along.

Because they had to. It was absolutely essential.

That was the plan.

"You need," he had told Jessie this morning, "To go make nice with Ramona. If you don't, we're -all- screwed." He nodded. "I talked with Steph last night, and she wasn't real thrilled about it, but she said she's still with us. She said she has no intentions to backstab us."

"Do you believe her?" asked Jessie.

"No way," answered Ryan. "She's gonna try to gank us, I know she is. She hates me, she hates you even worse. Which doesn't make sense since -I- never backstabbed John. I never voted against him."

Jessie nodded. She had heard this argument before. Ryan loved to justify himself to her.

"I said I wouldn't," added Ryan, "And I never did. He voted against -me-! He's the one who broke his word, not me! But Steph seems to forget that, and she holds me responsible for it all instead."

"So Steph is gonna try to get us out," said Jessie.

"Yeah," seethed Ryan. "She's a fun girl, but she's a -terrible- liar. She'll cut our throats in a second." He nodded to himself. "No, we need to get Tanya over here. She's the one we need."

"Tanya hates Stephanie," agreed Jessie.

"I know. T and I were tight, back in the day. She thinks Steph is a freaking nut case. So -you- get Ramona. -I'll- get Tanya, and then we have four."

"And don't piss off Stephanie," added Jessie.

"Don't even -talk- to Stephanie," Ryan said, as he had placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't say a word to her, just stay away."

With that advice in mind, Jessie was now working on Ramona. And working hard. Ryan watched, with fascination, as Jessie shared a hug with her old friend, and laughed and joked around. Just like old times, it appeared.

Suddenly Ryan was caught off guard. Peter had asked him a question.

"What?" Ryan snapped back to attention.

"I asked what happened with John," said Peter. "How on earth did he get voted out? I was sure he was gonna win."

"I don't really know," said Ryan, suddenly caught in a corner. He saw Stephanie smirking at him, off to the side. She had finally perked up, enjoying watching him squirm. She really hadn't said more than a few words since coming onto the boat. Stephanie appeared to have emotionally detached herself from the game again, and was just now starting to get her smile back. All it took was Ryan Aiken in a little hot water, and she had again found something to enjoy out here.

"You don't have to tell me," said Peter, slyly. He cast a sidelong glance at Gabriel, that was all he needed to do. Peter was no dummy. "I was just curious, that's all."

"Uh..." said Ryan, trying to salvage this situation. "He was trying to be sneaky. He got caught trying to backstab people and we voted him out."

Ryan immediately knew this was the wrong thing to say, and winced inwardly. And sure enough, Stephanie was right there to call him on it. She had just been waiting for an opening.

"John's gone cause Ryan's a dick."

Ryan's eyes slitted, and he glared at her. She glared right back. And suddenly, Ryan felt his plan being yanked right out from under his feet. Tanya was standing right here, listening to all this with rapt fascination. Peter had a goofy little smile on his face, watching with amusement, and Gabriel was certainly taking notes as well. Suddenly, Ryan was trapped.

"Look," he said, "It's all old news. What happened back there happened." He turned to Steph. "I'm sorry, Steph. There's no hard feelings, it was just strategy, that's all. Nothing was personal."

"Ryan wants to vote the guys out first," explained Stephanie. "And then take Jessie to the final two. He wants to surround himself with women and have his own little harem."

Tanya giggled, as she exchanged eye contact with Steph. It was the only contact they had shared thus far. They had been trying -very- hard to keep up the charade, and it appeared to be working. In fact, Steph had already told Ramona that Tanya was a "whiny crybaby." So things were still going well, from that end.

But Tanya was giggling simply because she knew Ryan's plan as well. Ryan had -always- made it a point to lay out his female alliance to her. She was perfectly aware of what his strategy was. And Steph had just explained it to a tee. It was Ryan's harem plan.

"Come on," protested Ryan. "Can we just drop this? It's a new day, a new game. There's no need to get nasty about it." And he turned to Steph, with the intention of making nice. But the look in his eyes was not nice at all. It was murder. Cold-blooded murder. He was giving her the icy stare of death, and she knew he meant it.

"Well..." said Peter, as he struggled to change the subject. It was getting awkward now. "How about those Red Sox?"



^^



As the day dragged on, more strategy was discussed. Ryan tried his best to hide back into the woodwork, knowing that his plans may have been dealt irreparable harm by one Stephanie Dill. He was -pissed- at her too, more pissed off than he had been at any point in this game. But he also knew that he had to shut up about it now. This was not the time for revenge. Yes, Ryan Aiken was finally starting to learn. With experience came wisdom. And common sense told him that he needed to be nice for a while now, and lay low, and keep his mouth shut.

Although sucking up to Gabriel and Peter for a while certainly couldn't hurt, either.

But Ryan was dismayed when Jessie came back to him, with a shrug. Ramona had been very non-committal. She was glad to see Jessie again, ecstatic to have someone new to talk to, but she would not go so far as to promise her loyalty to Jessie Camacho.

Ramona simply wouldn't do that. She was too wary of Jessie now. And it had been fairly evident.

"She said," explained Jessie, "To wait and see. She doesn't have any friends on Alkyone, but she doesn't trust you much either."

"Does she trust you?"

"I think so." Jessie bit her lip. "I don't know."

But this news didn't make Ryan the most worried. No, what worried him the most was that Ramona was now talking to Gabriel. It seemed the chemist was quite popular out here. Everyone wanted to have a chat with her.

And then Ramona laughed. And looked at Ryan. And laughed again.

They were talking about -him-.

"Crap!" he muttered, under his breath. Suddenly waves of paranoia shot over him. He was doomed. He knew it. Stephanie was doing her best to sabotage his plans. Jessie had failed to sway Ramona sufficiently. And now Ramona was in good with Gabriel, and with that, probably Peter as well.

Oh, and they were currently making fun of Ryan and treating him like a joke.

This wasn't looking good. At all.

"I need to go," he said, as he frantically scanned the deck of the boat.

"Where?' asked Jessie. She could see the panic in his eyes. She knew that these cramped strategy sessions were bound to drive him insane. He was too paranoid. Too jumpy. Being able to watch everyone talk right before his eyes was already having an effect on his psyche.

"I gotta talk to Tanya," he said, with an audible edge to his voice. Panic. That was clear enough. He needed to go talk to Tanya, and talk to her -now.- She might be his last option.

He saw her, walking alone near the bow of the ship. With the rain starting to clear up, she was taking a moment to go get some sun, and get away from the cramped paranoia of the strategy sessions. It was rough out here, with everyone so close together. Frankly, she couldn't take it anymore. Plus, she wasn't feeling well.

But her solitude wasn't going to last very long. Because Ryan was already at her side.

"Hey T," he smiled, charmingly. "What up? Wanna talk about tomorrow?"





DAY 30





Jessie Camacho started the morning with a nature walk.

She was currently strolling, alone, through the lush green hills of their new island. Maia island had proved to be a hospitable home thus far, a little smaller than Taygete or Alkyone, but with more flora and fauna. It was a nice place to live. Oh, except for that one thing.

"Yuck," she said, as she wrinkled her nose. She looked over at the small herd of sheep standing nearby. And they stunk. Like you know what.

"I don't think," she added, as she reached down to pick a small purple flower, "That we really planned this out very well. Cause sheep stink." She smiled. "A lot."

Jessie twirled the small flower into her hair, resting it behind her right ear. That was one of her trademarks out here. Jessie usually had a flower in her hair.

"Tonight's vote," she said, as she started walking again, "Is gonna be a hard one. Because I don't know what's going down." She paused. "Ryan's plan was to get Mona and Tanya, and we four would be the final four. But I don't know if that's gonna happen now." She pouted, jutting her lower lip out softly, as she tended to do when things weren't going her way. "Mona isn't really into any sort of an alliance at the moment. And that doesn't help."

Jessie wrinkled her nose again. She was a little upset with her old friend. She had expected a little more help on this.

"Ryan -says- that Tanya is on board. She says she can't keep Gabe around, and wants to get him out. As soon as possible. But I don't know. I don't really know who to trust anymore."

Jessie sighed.

"I'm kind of worried about Steph, too," she said, warily. "I know she's trying to get Ryan out. Probably me, too."

In regards to Stephanie Dill, Jessie was absolutely correct. Upon their arrival at Maia last night, Stephanie had made it a point to start the smear campaign against her two least favorite Taygetes. Ryan and Jessie. Jessie and Ryan. The names were always intertwined, always connected, and it worried Jessie. It worried her a lot. Because if Stephanie succeeded, that meant that Jessie would be dragged down with Ryan. His reputation and attitude would drag her right out of this game, along with him.

"So my goal today," she said, as she crested a final hill, "Is to go talk to Tanya. I promised Ryan I would go see what's up, and see if we can make some plans for certain. Cause I know Tanya wants Gabe out. She doesn't try to hide it."

Jessie finally spotted Tanya, as the young woman was on her first Maia fruit run. Carrying a small armload of figs and tangerines, Tanya smiled and called over to her new teammate.

"Hi girlfriend!" said Tanya, happily, as Jessie approached her.

The two made small talk for a while, just talking about their new home. They talked about the flowers that seemed to overrun the island, the herds of sheep that kept a safe distance from their new human cohabitants, and the new shelter that Peter and Gabriel had begun last night. And the smell. They talked about the smell of the island too. It was always a good conversation topic.

"So what's up with the vote tonight?" asked Jessie, after about ten minutes of small talk. She peered at her smaller teammate. "Did Ryan talk to you yet?"

"He did," nodded Tanya. "And he wants to make it a foursome."

"Me... you..." started Jessie.

"Ryan and Mona," finished Tanya.

"But not Stephanie," said Jessie, smiling.

"No way!" added Tanya. She wrinkled her nose. "Yuck."

"No kidding," said Jessie. "We couldn't stand her at Taygete. She was fun sometimes, but half the time she'd be talking to the chickens. Or she'd sit in a corner and stare at the fire."

"I know!" laughed Tanya. "She did that here too. I got caught in a fishing boat with her once and I wanted to kill myself."

The two of them shared a laugh, laughing at the eccentricities of their nomadic teammate. And Jessie felt secure. She finally felt secure. This was going to work.

Until Tanya lowered the boom.

"But I don't think Mona's gonna do it," she said. "I know Ryan's all gung ho about this alliance, but she simply doesn't want to commit to anything. Not now."

"Not even with you?"

"No way," sighed Tanya. "I tried my best. We get along okay, but she wants to play it safe. She's jumpy like that."

Tanya debated adding this next line, but she couldn't resist. It was a little mean, and a little cruel, but after all, it -was- the truth. Ramona had told her so just a few days ago.

"Besides, I don't think she trusts you much anymore. She thinks you want her gone."

"What?!?"

"I don't know..." said Tanya. "But she thinks you gave up on her while she was over here."

"That's not true!" protested Jessie. But deep down, she knew it was the truth. She could feel the panic spread into her chest. Of course Jessie had forgotten about her, Jessie had done her best to distance herself from Ramona soon after the twist. She hadn't wanted there to be any association. She hadn't wanted anyone to think they were in cahoots.

And now, it looked like it was going to backfire.

"Am I going tonight?" asked Jessie. "Please tell me. I want to know."

"I don't think so," confirmed Tanya. "People want Ryan gone. Not you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

But that wasn't good enough for Jessie. She was in full panic mode. Much like Ryan yesterday, her mind was wheeling. And when her mind was wheeling, it meant just one thing: Self-preservation. And if there was one thing Jessie was good at, it was cutting ties. She knew to get out when the getting was good.

She had cut ties with Diane.

She had backstabbed Kel.

She had broken Dirk's heart.

And she had bailed on her friend Ramona.

All for the sake of her own safety. And now, as she had done so many times before, Jessie thought of her own self interests. She knew what she needed to do. It was now time to cut another player loose.

"Look," she said, "I have no connection with Ryan. I'll vote him out if you want. He's a jerk, I don't want him around any more than you guys do."

"Seriously?"

"I mean it," added Jessie. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it." She didn't want to go there, but she had to. Sure, it was begging, but these were desperate times. "I need you, Tanya. Please help me out."




^^




The day passed slowly, with most of the time spent on the new shelter. Peter had proved to be the mastermind of this one, as his natural craftsman and outdoor skills had come heavily into play.

"Ryan," he pointed out, "Give me another T-Bah. We need to hook it up over the doohway."

Ryan Aiken walked over, shirtless, as he carried another of the large, heavy logs. He had been spending every minute today trying to fit in with the guys. He needed to get in good with Gabe, and he needed to get in good with Peter. And helping them build the house was the best way to do so. That was how the guys bonded out here.

Even if Ryan hated every minute of it.

The women of the tribe had pretty much come and gone throughout the building process. Stephanie would help out when needed, but for the most part she had been fishing all morning. With a new island came a new boat, and she had been determined to take advantage of it this time around. Ramona had been around, and had done her best to look busy. She was good at that. Tanya had been off picking fruit, and Jessie had been masterful at staying out of the way all morning. In fact, Ryan hadn't seen Jessie in a while.

He looked around.

Where was she?

Unbeknownst to him, Jessie had just spent the past hour explaining the John vote to Tanya, and the circumstances behind it. Jessie explained how she had betrayed Stephanie. How Ryan had managed to get rid of his mentor, and ally, without even casting a vote against him. How Stephanie had railed at her two teammates afterwards, and basically given up. All of it. Jessie had totally finked out on her pal Ryan, and blamed him for everything.

But all Ryan saw now was Jessie and Tanya, returning from the woods, laughing and giggling like schoolgirls. They appeared to be having a great time together, and it made him smile. Maybe this would work after all.

Excellent, he thought. Good job, Jess. We got her.

But he was wrong. Ryan Aiken was no longer in the equation. And he would soon be finding that out.




^^




Ramona brought back the tree mail just around lunchtime. The rest of Xanathos were sitting in front of their shelter, which was about 75% done, as they ate their first meal of fish and figs. The rain was gone, the meadows were lovely, and the island was beautiful. It was a good day to be in Greece.

"We're doing a challenge," she said, as she happily held up the piece of paper. As the rest of the tribe crowded around her, she read it aloud.

"You can look, but don't touch.
Stare all you want.
You won't get away from its gaze.
But if you want safety,
You'll just have to earn it,
And keep yourself here three more days."

"First individual challenge," smiled Peter. "Good times, guys."

Ryan sat, trying to smile, but it was hard to be enthused at the moment. He couldn't help it, really. Because he had spent the past thirty minutes watching Jessie. Just keeping an eye on her. And sure, she hadn't made eye contact with him. That could be explained. And sure, she had been giggling with Tanya most of the time, that could probably be justified as well.

But what he -couldn't- brush off was the way she had been talking to Gabe.

She had been smiling at the young blond man, and sitting very close to him. A little closer than was reasonable. And she had seemed extra friendly with him, too, especially when you considered she hadn't even -met- the guy until yesterday. No, it was already starting to raise the hairs on the back of Ryan Aiken's neck.

Because Jessie was flirting.

He could see it with his own eyes. The way she touched Gabe's arm when she laughed. The way she smiled at him. It was the same treatment she had given Ryan, not more than a week ago. Little did he know it was the same treatment she had also given Dirk. It was what she did so well, and Ryan suddenly knew he was yesterday's news.

Jessie was moving on. And she knew exactly who to go for. The golden boy. The alpha. The top dog. The guy whom everyone loved. Gabriel Cade.

"Crap," he muttered to himself.

Ryan Aiken now knew it to be true. He no longer had an ally left in the world.

He had been replaced.




^^




"Welcome, guys," said Jeff, as he welcomed the seven players to their first individual immunity challenge. He retrieved the immunity idol from Tanya, who handed it back with a sad smile.

"See ya later, Kenny," said Ramona, which raised a few small chuckles.

"You guys won't be needing Zeus anymore," said Jeff. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bronze necklace. It featured the face of a woman, with startling silver-gray eyes.

"This is Athena," said Jeff, "The goddess of wisdom." He smiled. "You'll want to be wearing her around your neck for the rest of the way out. Because she'll keep you safe. Even if nothing else will."

He hung the necklace up on a hook, which was attached to a large wooden pole.

"Today's challenge," explained Jeff, "Is based on another tragic story from Greek mythology."

"Oh great," moaned Peter. "Are there any other kind?"

"I want to tell you about a boy named Narcissus," explained Jeff. "This was a guy who never found the time for love. He was beautiful, and adored by many, but he loved neither male, nor female, for his entire life. He just never saw the time for it."

"Sounds like Dirk," joked Ryan, which caused the group to bust out laughing. Jeff had to wait for a moment for them to calm down.

"Narcissus," he continued, "had many suitors, but never returned their affections. And this angered the gods. They saw him as vain, and felt he needed to be rightly punished. So they cursed him. He would be forced to feel the pain of unreturned love. He would someday be forced to feel the heartache that he had caused so many others throughout his lifetime. And thus," he paused, "We come here. To today's challenge."

Jeff turned and pointed to a meadow behind him. It featured a small swamp. Not much more than a puddle, really, it stood about a foot deep, and was really just a wet, marshy spot in the grass, caused by the rain.

"Narcissus was staring into a pool one day," finished Jeff, "And he saw his own reflection. He fell madly in love with the beautiful boy in the pool, and spent the remainder of his lifetime at the side of the pool. Staring. Waiting." Jeff smiled. "Heartbroken."

Jeff went on to lay out the rules. The players would go down to the edge of the swamp and kneel down. They would place their hands down into the water, and remain in that position, with their faces down, staring at the water. It wouldn't be tremendously difficult, but it would require balance, arm strength and most of all, the will to outlast the others.

"This may take a while," he added, "But we'll be doing it for immunity. Nothing fancy, just good ol' fashioned willpower. Who wants it the most?"

He smiled.

"Ready to begin?"

A few moments later, the seven players were lined up at the edge of the swamp. Peter knelt down on the extreme left of the line, grimacing as he placed his hands into the marshy mud at the bottom of the water. Next to him was Ryan, and then Tanya. Next came Stephanie, Gabriel, Ramona and Jessie. Jessie knelt at the far right of the line, already disliking the feel of the marsh mud between her fingers.

"This is for immunity!" said Jeff. He made sure everyone was kneeling, with hands down. Once they were set, the contest began.

"Survivors ready," he said, softly. "Go."

The seven players knelt down, bemused by this strange challenge. This wasn't as physical as the ones they had been used to so far. This one was plain goofy. But it wasn't going to be as easy as it looked at first glance. For one, Jeff had made them all lean forwards somewhat. This caused them to put the brunt of the weight on their hands and wrists, not their knees. It wasn't really a push-up, but it still took some balance. And you had to stay focused, or you were likely to just tip right over after a while.

"Anyone want to sing?" asked Peter.

"Only if I don't have to," added Ramona.

With that, Peter began a very rousing ballad of Disney songs. Starting with "It's a Small World," and going all the way through "Under the Sea," he tried his best to keep everyone entertained. But after about ten minutes, the game took its first casualty.

"Ugh," muttered Tanya, as she faceplanted down into the water. Her arms had simply given out on her, and she had lost her balance. Sitting up, she wiped the water out of her eyes, smiled sheepishly, and walked over to a clearing. She sat down to rub her aching arms.

"Six left," said Jeff. "I'll just be sitting over here, waiting for the rest of you." He smiled, wickedly. "Oh, and I'll be munching on some M&M's."

"You bastard!" joked Ramona, as she looked over to smile at him. Sure enough, Jeff had pulled a yellow bag of peanut M&M's out of his pocket. He opened the bag and popped a yellow one in his mouth.

"Do we get some?" asked Stephanie, suddenly starving. She had intended to go all out on this one, but the sight of chocolate had suddenly changed all that. Come on, this was chocolate! Some things were more important than immunity.

"You want them?" teased Jeff, but that was all he needed to say.

Splash.

Splash.

Ramona and Stephanie were over within seconds, each greedily munching on the small colorful candies. Tanya was allowed to partake as well, and the three women moaned with ecstasy over the sudden intake of chocolate into their depleted systems.

"You guys want any?" asked Jeff, but the final four all remained in place. Peter. Ryan. Gabriel. Jessie. All of them stared face down, at the water, each fully intending to win immunity tonight.

The time passed, as wrists and shoulders began to ache, and thoughts started to turn to who needed to win tonight. Was it really worth it? Did they really think they would be voted off if they lost?

And after about twenty-five minutes, Peter Harkey decided that no, he was not in any danger.

Splash.

He dropped down into the water, sat up, and then rubbed his aching wrists. Now there were just three.

With the contest nearing thirty minutes, Gabriel Cade knelt in the middle of the line, staring down at his reflection. His arms were starting to tire. He glanced over to his left, and saw Ryan Aiken. Ryan's eyes were closed, his muscular arms still remaining rock solid. If he was tired, he was hiding it well. Gabriel glanced over to his right, and saw Jessie Camacho. Her eyes were also closed, but she appeared to be shaking a little bit. It appeared she was already in a state of muscle fatigue.

Then Gabe glanced back at the players out of the game. Peter flashed him a quick thumbs up, but that wasn't who Gabe was looking for. There was Stephanie, weaving together some sort of grass necklace. There was Ramona, happily munching on some peanut butter Jeff had brought out.

And there she was. Tanya Vance. She was the one he was worried about tonight.

"If Tanya and Ramona do make a move," Peter had explained that morning, "It will probably be tonight."

Gabe had nodded. Since his suspicions of Tanya's loyalty just the other day, he had been keeping a close eye on her. Despite the fact that she was his friend, his mind had been quite preoccupied the past few days with thoughts of her betrayal. He knew she had it in her. He just knew it.

But he wasn't entirely sure she could go through with it. And if she did, would it even be tonight?

She finally noticed him looking at her, and she smiled. She also waved to him, and he smiled back. And then Tanya held up her hands in front of her. She pantomimed lifting her hands and letting her face fall, and Gabe got the signal right away. She was telling him he didn't need immunity. He was going to be safe tonight.

"Don't strain your arms." she mouthed to him. "You don't need it."

Gabe thought about it for a moment, but couldn't do it. He couldn't make himself give up. But then Tanya persuaded him. She pointed first to Ryan, and then to Jessie. That was the boot order. First and second choice. They had decided this early today, and she was just confirming it. And that, he figured, was enough. After all, why risk a wrist injury for an immunity he didn't need?

Splash.

Gabe dropped down into the water, enjoying the cool crispness of it covering his face. Then he stood up, cleaned himself off, and walked to join his teammates.

Now, it was down to two.

"Can I interest either of you in a bribe?" asked Jeff, as he walked over to the swamp's edge. Before him, he held out a small silver platter. And on the middle of it was a cheeseburger. "That smell good to you, Ryan?"

"Go away," said Ryan, as he stared intently at his reflection in the pool. "I'm not goin' down, man. I don't eat those things no more."

"What about you, Jessie?" asked Jeff, but she simply shook her head. She needed this. She knew she did. She didn't trust Tanya one bit. She didn't trust any of them.

"Okay," shrugged Jeff. "I'll see you guys in a little bit."

The forty-five minute mark passed.

Ryan and Jessie remained in place, stoic, not saying a word. Each of them were sure they were going tonight, and each of them were probably correct. For if one won immunity, the other would probably be going.

Especially if the vulnerable one was Ryan Aiken.

"I saw you with Gabe," he hissed now, under his breath. Jessie turned to look at him, as the players in the meadow strained to try to hear what was being said.

"I barely talked with Gabe!" answered Jessie.

"You were flirting with him!" hissed Ryan again, angrily. "You're trying to put the moves on him!"

"Screw you!" she answered. She snapped her head back towards the water, trying to ignore him. But Ryan was nothing if not persistent.

"Did you even -try- to get Tanya on board?" he asked.

"Yes!" she whispered back, angrily. "Tanya is with us. We have it. We have four people!"

"Then why do you want to win so bad?"

Jessie didn't have an answer. She couldn't even think of a cover story. Her mind was too focused on keeping in place at the moment.

"That's what I thought," said Ryan. Then he added. "Liar."

The other five players watched with fascination as Jessie and Ryan appeared to be having a fight. No one could quite catch the words, but it appeared to be getting heated. Stephanie grinned, out of sheer amusement. This was too funny.

"They want me out more than you," said Ryan. "Drop down and give me immunity. I can get them to vote for Gabe. Tanya wants him out, anyway."

"You're lying."

"She told me, dude!" Ryan insisted.

But before Jessie could reply, she suddenly lost strength in her left wrist. She yelped with surprise and tumbled down into the cold water. It was over.

"Ryan!" announced Jeff, "Wins immunity!"

Ryan sat up and pumped his fist in the air. Grinning from ear to ear, he smiled as Jeff walked over and placed the bronze Athena necklace over his head.

"Well done," said Jeff. "You earned it."

The rest of the tribe clapped politely, as Ryan went over to join them. He felt a sense of overflowing relief. He would be safe. Tonight, he would be safe.

He looked over at his alliance partner. His supposed alliance partner. She looked wet, annoyed, and miserable. She hadn't wanted to lose. Not to Ryan. -Especially- not to Ryan.

But Ryan just smiled.

He was safe. But he doubted very much that her safety could also be assured tonight.




^^




After dinner, the tribe only had about an hour to pack up and plan for the big vote. And as expected, Ryan was in a particularly ebullient mood.

"That was great!" he said, as he polished off the last bit of fish. He smiled at Gabriel, and gave the cook a big thumbs up. "Sweetness, dude."

"Thanks, man," smiled Gabe. He had noticed the change in Ryan's attitude tonight. The guy was actually pleasant to be around for a change. And he wasn't trying to pull anything, you could tell. Ryan had actually chilled out a bit, and was enjoying the camp experience.

Which was nice.

Not so fortunate, however, was Jessie Camacho. She had intended to try to sway some votes towards Gabriel tonight. Or Stephanie, if nothing else. But she was having no luck. No one seemed to be interested.

Peter wasn't going to vote against his alliance. That was a dead end.

Jessie didn't feel comfortable talking to Gabe about strategy. She didn't know what to say to the guy yet, other than to smile and laugh at his jokes. Gabe was likely out of the question as well.

Ryan had essentially ignored her since coming back. With some newfound security around his neck, he had more or less left her to dangle in the wind on her own.

-See how you like it,- he had thought. -It doesn't feel good, does it?-

Stephanie was someone to talk to, but...

"Don't even start," Steph had said, the moment Jessie came anywhere near her. "Just take your lying little butt elsewhere. I got stuff to do."

Tanya was nowhere to be found. For some reason. she had disappeared tonight. So that left just one option. Jessie had to talk with Ramona.

And Ramona was waiting for it. She knew Jessie would come crawling back to her. She had been so sure, in fact, that she had predicted it.

"Watch," she had said to Tanya, right before dinner, "Jessie will come back to me, and try to play nice. She thinks I'll forgive her and take her back."

Tanya had smiled. That would be funny. Because she knew Ramona was pissed at her ex-friend. Ramona wasn't one you could play and discard on a whim. She was a bit feisty if she felt she was being manipulated.

But now Jessie was here.

And Ramona was ready. With both barrels loaded.

"Oh," smiled the chemist, the moment Jessie had asked her about the vote. "So now we're friends again? Is that what we're saying?"

"We've always been friends!"

"I'm sorry," snipped Ramona, "But it sure didn't look that way all those times when I waved to you across the beach. You remember those? All the times I was saying hi?" Ramona fixed Jessie with a firm gaze. "What, you didn't see me?"

"I can't see that far!"

"That's -bull-crap!" countered Ramona. "I know how you work, Jessie. I was behind you every step of the way, as a partner. I know the way you play!" Ramona was starting to get mad. This conversation had been built up in her mind for a long time now. She simply didn't respect the way Jessie discarded people when they were of no use. Maybe now she would feel what it was like, from the other end.

"You dumped my butt just like you dumped Dirk," finished Ramona. "Because you didn't need me. I've heard all about it. And I'm sorry, you can start crying if you want, but I'm tired of your little girl act. It's over, Jessie. I'm sorry." She stood up, intending to make a dramatic exit.

"Mona, please!"

"Forget it! Find some other sap to play, I'm tired of it."




^^




Jeff greeted the seven players as they sat for their tenth Tribal Council. To the side sat Debb and John, the first two jurors. And tonight, they would be soon joined by another.

"Tanya," asked Jeff. "What was it like with the merge on the fishing boat? Did you guys find that to be stressful?"

The social worker perked up, and flashed him a grin. She still wasn't feeling very well, but was doing her best to put on a happy face. She knew as well as anybody that illness was not a fun thing out here.

"It was tough," she admitted. "You had all these people wantin' to talk, but we were all so close it was hard to do." She smiled. "It kinda felt like we were on Big Brother for a minute."

Jeff smiled. Oh well, at least it was a CBS show. Maybe they wouldn't have to cut that line.

"Gabriel," he asked. "You're a strong guy. You're fit. You're a competitor. Do you feel vulnerable at all tonight?"

"Sure," answered the young man. "I always feel vulnerable. And the further we go, the more stressful it becomes. But you just have to have faith, and a little bit of trust."

Gabe looked at Tanya. She didn't return his gaze. But he didn't feel too worried. He still felt she would be loyal. After all, she trusted him. That had to count for something.

But what Gabe didn't know was that he had -almost- been selected for dismissal tonight. Tanya had floated the idea by Steph, in their first true strategy talk, but Steph had flat out said no.

"Jessie," she had insisted. "I aint votin' for Gabe. I want that bitch gone first. And then Ryan."

So Jessie it had been, a fact that Stephanie was pretty much confirming now.

"I know who it's gonna be," she answered, in response to Jeff's query. "And she knows it too."

"So..." said Jeff, as he turned to Jessie. "Do you think you're the one she's talking about?"

"Yes," said Jessie, softly.

"Do you think there's anything you can do to save yourself?"

"Sure." She smiled, but still looked rather sad and defeated. "I'm not much of a threat. There's guys here who are much bigger threats than I am." She looked over at Gabe. "If you guys don't vote Gabe out soon, he's gonna start running away with this thing. You all know it."

"What about that, Gabe?" asked Jeff. "Do you think you pose more of a theat here than anyone else?"

"Of course not," he said. He looked a little shaken by the accusation though. He was already starting to feel the pressure of the endgame getting to him, but he wasn't quite ready for direct frontal assaults like that. He didn't appreciate people trolling for votes against him. "I'm just a player like everyone else, Jeff."

Jeff turned back to Jessie, but she had started to cry. She didn't mean to, it had just started to happen. She felt alone, unhappy, and utterly, utterly helpless. So Jeff left her alone, although none of the other players had made a move to comfort her. That pretty much spoke volumes about her position in the tribe at the moment.

"Okay," said Jeff. "It's time to vote." He stood up. "Gabe, you're up."

Gabriel Cade walked up to the podium, uncapped the pen, and wrote down Jessie Camacho's name. After all, that was the plan.

"I like you a lot," he said, "But just sticking to the batting order. Take care."

Tanya Vance was second, followed by Stephanie Dill, and then Peter Harkey.

Ramona Gray was fifth, and she cast her ballot for Jessie as well.

"I wish it had been different," she started, as she stood with her violet buff around her forehead, "But things change in this game. I hope we'll be friends on the outside, I really do. Take care of yourself."

Ryan Aiken walked up, proudly wearing his immunity necklace. He uncapped the pen and wrote down a name. It wasn't Jessie, although he knew she was going. And it wasn't Gabriel, although he knew that Jessie was right. Gabe -was- the biggest threat in the game. By far. But Ryan was now trying to kiss up to Gabe, as well as Peter. He couldn't very well vote for the guy.

So he compromised instead, and voted for the person he was most angry with at the moment.

"Steph," he said, holding up the ballot. "You're messing with the wrong guy. Watch your back, that's all I'm gonna say."

Jessie Camacho was the final player to vote. She walked up, glasses covering her eyes, and slowly wiped away a tear. She hadn't expected to take it so hard, but this had just been a really difficult day. Everyone had come around to take a shot at her, it had seemed. But she capped it off by writing down Gabriel's name. Maybe at least that would help.

"Too strong," she added.

With that, all seven votes had been cast. Jeff walked to retrieve the ballot box, and brought it back to his podium.

"The player voted out must leave the Tribal Council area immediately," he said. With that, the gate behind him slowly swung open. And Jeff pulled out the first vote.

"Jessie," it read. Jessie simply nodded.

Jeff pulled out the second vote.

"Jessie," it read, in Gabriel's handwriting. That was two.

Vote number three was also for the model from Orlando.

"Jessie," it read. Although Peter had written, and then crossed out, "Ryan" above it, as a joke.

Ryan wasn't amused.

"That's three votes Jessie," said Jeff, as he pulled out the fourth vote.

He looked at it for a second, and then turned it around.

"Steph," it read. Stephanie didn't appear to react at all. She knew who the vote had come from.

Jeff pulled out the fifth vote.

"Gabriel," read Jessie's scrawled handwriting.

Gabe looked over at Peter. The big man just shrugged.

"That's three votes Jessie," announced Jeff, "One vote Stephanie. One vote Gabriel."

With that, Jeff pulled out vote number six.

He looked at it, paused, and then spoke.

"The third member of our jury, and tenth player voted out of the game..."

He revealed the vote.


"Jessie."


Jessie stood up, not surprised in the slightest, and waved a quick goodbye to her teammates. She brought her torch up and placed it before Jeff. As this happened, Stephanie took a quick glance at the jury box, and saw John Raymond there.

John was smiling. He flashed her a quick thumbs up. And then he looked at Ryan.

One down, one to go.

"Jessie," said Jeff, as he snuffed out her torch. "The tribe has spoken."

With that, the tall girl from Orlando was out of the game. She walked through the gate, down the dirt path, and onto the waiting ferry. She boarded the boat and sat down in the front row, as far from the creepy boatman as she could get. But within moments, she was gone, ferried away into the night.

And the game was now down to six.

"Congratulations," said Jeff. "You've made it this far. And now each of you has a one in six chance at winning a million dollars." He smiled. "Get back to camp, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

With that, they filed back into their transport boat.

Ramona and Stephanie in the front

Gabriel and Peter in the middle.

Ryan and Tanya in the back.

Only nine days left to go. And all of them thought they had what it would take to win this game. They all had their strategies, and all had their plans. Some of them had full blown alliances, like Peter. Some of them had hidden alliances, like Tanya. Some of them were just trying to drift by, like Ramona. And some of them didn't know what they were going to do now, like Ryan.

But the six of them all had one thing in common. One very important trait in common.

This close to the end, they would all do anything it would take to be the last one standing.

- Read Jessie's Final Words!

- All-Star Survivor: Greece episode notes.

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- Back to the All-Star Greece episode archive.