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)
“Layla, stop,” I said. “I mean it. Not one more word…or gesture about Archer. Tell me everything about home. I miss everyone so much. That’s all I want to talk about.”
“Everyone’s good,” she said. “Mom got Dad a big tool chest on wheels for his birthday, but she forgot that she bought him the same gift three years ago, so now he has two.”
I smiled. “That sounds about right. And did you guys have lasagna and carrot cake on Father’s Day?”
“Of course.”
“I know it hasn’t been that long, but it feels like I’ve been gone forever,” I said as we reached our camp.
“Oh god, is this where you live?” Layla turned to me, wide-eyed. “Is that where you sleep?”
“Yep. That’s our shelter.”
She swatted at the bugs swarming around her. “Do you have any bug spray?”
I just laughed. “No, but you get used to it.”
Archer’s eyes met mine. “Do you want to get started on the competition?”
“I think we should.”
“Is there a bathroom?” Layla asked.
Archer gestured at the ocean. “Just think of it as the world’s largest toilet.”
Layla gaped at me. “He’s kidding, right?”
It was going to be a long twenty-four hours for her.
“So if you look around this camp,” I said, “you can see every single thing we have, other than a well. This is it.”
“Wow,” she said softly. “Okay.”
“How can we help you guys win this thing?” Simon asked. “I’m ready to get to work doing whatever you need.”
He seemed like a nice guy. As we set out into the jungle for our competition, he took the machete from Archer and cleared brush. Archer kept giving me frustrated looks, though, because Simon was a lot slower at it than he was.
“It’s hot as balls here,” Simon said, slapping his forehead as another bug flew in front of him. “I’m sweating like crazy.”
“Hey, trade me, man,” Archer said.
Simon turned around and Archer deftly passed him the map and took over with the machete.
“I don’t mind doing it,” Simon said.
“Trust me. It’s not you. It’s him,” Layla said in a cross tone. “He thinks he’s the best at everything.”
I glared at her. That wasn’t even a fair insult. Archer wasn’t like that. He ignored her, though, continuing to cut a path through the dense foliage.
“Looks like we should be coming up on a big tree on the left,” Simon said. “I can’t tell how much further it is.”
“Holy crap, that lizard is huge!” Layla cried. “Are those things aggressive?”
“Not if you leave them alone,” Archer said wryly.
“Don’t be so judgy, Crocodile Hunter,” she snapped. “I’ve never been in a jungle before.”
“There’s a big tree,” I said, interrupting their spat. “Maybe it’s the one we’re looking for.”
We were lucky—it was. Simon collected a chip from a box mounted on a post next to the tree, and also a copy of our next clue.
“You need more water?” Archer asked me.
He was carrying the two jugs Josh had given him in one of the backpacks we’d gotten from our treasure chest finds, and he’d also packed beef sticks and Gatorade mix.
“I probably should, but I don’t want to go through it too quickly,” I said.
He shrugged off the pack. “You need to drink enough.”
“What’s with the concerned boyfriend act?” Layla demanded.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Layla, stop.”
She sighed. “Please tell me you didn’t let him convince you he’s a good guy. He hurt you so badly. It took you so long to get over him. Don’t you remember how you cried every”
“Stop.” I gave her an imploring look. “If you’re here to support me, then stop.”
She must have heard the plea in my tone, because her expression softened.
“Okay, I’m sorry.” Though it had to be painful, she looked at Archer. “I apologize, Archer.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “But listen, these competitions can be grueling. We need to work together and get it done.”
“We’re ready to start again when you guys are,” I said.
Archer met my gaze. “Water first.”
“I don’t want to open those yet. We just started.”
He passed me his canteen. “Drink.”
I did, because I was thirsty, and I also didn’t want to end up so weak and exhausted I held everyone else back. We had to make sure we could complete this competition before dark. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to see a thing.
Archer led the way, with Simon right behind him holding the map and the clues, Layla behind him, and me at the very end. Archer turned around about once a minute to make sure I was still here.
“What is going on with you two?” Layla asked me in a hushed tone.
“Shh. We’ll talk in private when we can.”
“Yes, we will,” she said, giving me a pointed look. “Obviously you’ve got some stuff to catch me up on.”
I was relieved when she turned around and continued walking.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Day Twenty-Four—Five teams remaining
Archer
Simon grinned, impressed by our view of the sunrise from the raft.