After I cut myself out of the trap, I tried to follow Amanda to steal back my flag. But I couldn’t find her anywhere. She had truly vanished.
As I explored, I found abandoned campsites from last night: signs that other competitors had been near here. And, in a stroke of luck, I stumbled upon an unopened supply box that held cans of beans, tuna, and pineapple.
That night, I returned to my shelter under the overhang, started a small fire using the flint, and cooked the strangest meal I’d eaten in a long time. My canteen was still there, which was a good sign that no one else had found my camp.
As I ate, I saw a glint of gold in the trees across the stream. I squinted but couldn’t see what it was.
I glanced around, hoping no one was watching. Then I darted out of my shelter and across the stream. Tucked in the underbrush was what looked like a supply box, but it was smaller and painted gold. A padlock dangled from it. I picked it up, but it was way heavier than I expected. I looked all around for a key, but I only found one of the show’s hidden cameras. It was in a tree, disguised as a clump of leaves. Whatever this golden box was, it was clearly important. But it was too heavy for me to lug around during the rest of the competition. My priority needs to be getting flags.
I buried the chest in some leaves so no one else would find it.
***
The next day was my last chance to get a pair of flags. I collected all my supplies and set out to track down some competitors. As the sun peeked through the treetops, I suddenly had an idea.
I returned to the location of Amanda’s old camp and studied the trap that had caught me. She had taken a thin but strong vine from a tree, threw it over a branch, and tied a counterweight to one end. The other end had a loop on it that would go on the ground. When I stepped into the loop, the counterweight fell, pulling the loop shut and causing the end attached to me to fly upward.
I repaired the vine and reset the trap, covering it in leaves to hide it. It took about an hour to set up. The sun crawled higher in the air. Time was running out.
For the final touch, I started a fire and started cooking the rest of my food out in the open. Maybe it was a long shot. But it worked on me, so there was a good chance it would work on someone else.
And that’s exactly what happened.
After about an hour, another competitor appeared out of nowhere. One moment I saw nothing but trees. The next, the trees seemed to be walking. A neon yellow flag dangled off the hip of this supposed tree. I realized this competitor had completely coated herself in mud and leaves to hide herself better. She had to leave the flag exposed, but it was good camouflage. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed her.
I quickly looked back at the cooking food, pretending not to see her. She stalked toward me, confident in her disguise. But my—or, Amanda’s—trap was disguised even better. Up went the girl’s foot. She yelped and started thrashing. I laughed as I approached.
“You jerk,” she snarled. “Peter! Peter, help!”
Right as I took her flag, someone else appeared, a bright pink flag on his waist. He was coated in mud and leaves too.
“Jessie, what—” he started, then he saw me. His eyes widened in surprise.
My heart pounded. I hadn’t counted on this. I hadn’t thought anyone would have already formed an alliance. My legs tensed up, ready to bolt into the trees, but I resisted. I had run away once before, from Muscle Dude, and it was a wasted opportunity. This time, I wasn’t going to let a flag get away.
Peter was a large boy, both tall and wide. He loomed over me.
I charged right at him.
Peter yelped and instinctively raised his arms to protect himself as I crashed into him. We both collapsed, me on top of him. I ripped his flag from his waist and stood up, triumphant, each of my hands enclosed over a neon flag: one pink and one yellow. Both mine.
Then I ran.
Peter scrambled to his feet and chased after me, leaving Jessie swinging around behind us.
With Peter’s breath hot on my neck, I launched myself at the first palm tree I saw and scrambled up till I was fifteen feet in the air. Clutching the trunk, I glanced down. Peter stood at the base of the tree, huffing with exhaustion.
“Coward!” he yelled. “Come down here!”
From up here, I had a new chance to get away. To my right was a large tree with wide, thick branches that could support me. The idea came to me in a flash. I can go from tree to tree until the end of the challenge . . . or at least until Peter gives up. Being stuck in the treetops for the rest of the day didn’t sound exciting, but it was the only way.
I was about to make my move when Peter seemed to get an idea. He went over to the tree I was about to jump to and began to climb. He hoisted himself up clumsily to the lowest branches. Once he found his balance, he grabbed the next branch. He was coming up after me.
What am I going to do? I thought, panicking. I looked to my left. There was nothing within my reach but a couple of thin, weak branches and big leaves. I hugged the trunk tighter. Peter was almost at my height now. Soon, he’d shuffle out and grab the flags off my hip while I stayed stuck in the tree. Like a coward.
Unless . . .
Right as Peter swiped at me, I loosened my grip and slid back down the trunk of the palm tree. The friction burned my fingers, but I was on the ground in seconds.
I took off into the forest, leaving him and Jessie behind.
I spent the rest of the first round hiding as best I could. I heard Jessie and Peter complaining in the distance as they searched for me. Every time they got close, I flattened myself to the forest floor and slowed my breathing. They passed right by me. My experiences watching wild animals were coming in handy. I snuck back to my camp after dark and let the shadows of the overhang protect me from any prying eyes.
As the first round neared completion, my emotions soared. I thought about my parents back home. It filled me with more energy than food ever could.
At sunrise the next morning, a series of three huge booms filled the island air, jolting me awake and signaling the end of the first round.
“Competitors, please make your way east!” Chase’s voice called from hidden speakers.
The dawn of this new day meant the beginning of the second round. And I had gotten enough flags to move on.