Page 135 of Forsaking All Others

The only one who doesn’t make such a claim is the last to be interviewed.

“And what of our innocent Viking? A crowd favourite and always a long shot, but someone more than a few have put their money on winning,” he nods to the audience behind, several of whom murmur their assent.

“I’m scared,” Thorun says, looking directly into the camera. “I’m worried we’ll freeze to death, or get eaten by a bear or a wolverine, or killed by another competitor, or hurt in a random accident, or starve to death.”

“Of course you are, of course you are,” Starlen says sympathetically, turning to look into the camera with mournful eyes. “These feelings are raw and special and totally understandable. Especially from someone who hasn’t prepared for the Games, who has no knowledge of what this competition is about, no skills and no special talents. EXCEPT, he grins widely, “you must have all of this and more, Thorun of Iceland, because out of the millions of women who applied throughout the world, you were selected. Your sweet honesty now can only endear you more to your fans and to the bachelor standing before you. So warm yourself over the coming weeks with the expectation that you might just be the one who has stolen our bachelor’s heart. Feast on the knowledge that you’ve outlasted and outplayed ladies who’ve lived and breathed this contest since they were infants, and defend yourself against every monster with the prospect of becoming a royal bride!”

I notice as he goes on, hyping himself up more and more, that Cat is trying hard not to laugh, and I turn my back so she can’t see my expression in case she provokes me into laughing too, and we ruin the shot. The last thing I need is to endure them re-filming this crap.

Finally, as Starlen winds down his tone changes, and I spin back to hear the rest.

“So, now to the rules and the specifics of this challenge,” he says quietly, looking into the camera earnestly. “This season, the decision has been made not to allow weapons in the final trial.”

He holds up his hands as though he’s hearing silent interjections from the fans at home.

“I know this sounds counter-intuitive to the proposition that each contestant must eliminate another in order to win,” he says quietly, firmly, “but our bachelor deserves, indeed all our bachelors deserve, someone who can think outside the box. They need a woman who can show intellect in a survival situation, someone who can solve problems on the run and under pressure and who won’t just rely on the easy way out when times get tough. This rule will ensure exactly that.”

He turns to have his back once more to the on-site crowd, now ushered forward so they surround him adoringly.

“And now to the specifics; contestants will be dropped some distance from each other and must make their way to an endpoint located on their maps, some two hundred kilometres from their starting point. In between, there are designated drop spots. Reaching those first will be a game-changer for some, because each spot will hold a reward. That reward could be the difference between life and death in a trial of this length, because as we all know, this contest will take weeks. It could, and has in previous seasons, taken months, because the contestants must not only travel, but also survive for as long as they can in the harsh wilderness while hunting and being hunted by their fellow competitors. Find a competitor, take them out and reach the finish point. That’s all they have to do, Bachelor Universe, to win and potentially become Viscountess Speardon.”

The camera zooms in for a close-up of each of the contestants before moving back to Starlen.

He pauses, and as if on some hitherto unseen cue, he and the crowd surrounding him shout, “Let The Games Begin!”

101

The crew on the helicopter don’t really know what to do when I refuse to get off at my stop.

“I told you,” I shout to be heard above the rotors, “I’m going with Thorun.”

“But,” one of the crew shouts back, “we have to drop you at specific points.”

Thorun shakes her head.

“Not if we’re playing together.”

“The only rule is that there are no rules,” I add.

Shrugging, the lead crew member nods to the pilot to continue, and about fifteen minutes later Thorun and I disembark together.

As the chopper takes off into the distance we both hoist our packs and stand for a full minute looking around us. We’re on a rocky beach fronting a huge lake. Others had been dropped off on the opposite side of the lake, and still others way further up or down the coastline. All of us, though, are on the water.

I study the map, and frown. The endpoint is far, far inland through dense forest and over a mountain.

“The map says we have to go this way,” I point north. “Always north, pretty much. I guess we'd better get started.”

“I don’t think that’s such a great idea,” Thorun frowns, shaking her head. “It’s so dark. Like Miranda said, the woods are full of bears, wolves and wolverines. I think we’re going to have to wait until dawn to decide what to do next.”

“What’s to decide? We have to go north as quickly as we can.”

“Yes,” she nods, “but we’re full of energy right now because we ate before coming out. By tomorrow we’re going to already be starting on the downhill slide because we won’t have any breakfast. By lunchtime we’ll be flagging because we won’t have water, and by evening things won’t be looking good.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“We’re going to have to switch up our nocturnal schedule and go back to human sleep times. Also, it’s safer on the beach than in the forest. I think our first thought should be to sleep until dawn and then find food and water. We need to figure out a way to make containers to take water with us or collect rainwater as we go. We should probably fish for a few days, maybe a week, and dry or smoke our catch so we have food to sustain us on the march. We’ll need to build a shelter to stay safe from animals and the weather while we’re doing that.”

I consider everything she’s said. It all makes sense, and the other contestants are unlikely to start hunting each other just yet because most of us, I’m hoping, will have survival at the forefront of our minds.