A Competitive Community

Episode 1 Part 2

Episode 1 Part 2:


The First Cut Is The Deepest


         “Alright girls, the first we should do is figure out who sleeps where,” said Mary as she and her cottage mates entered their home.


         The cottage consisted of a small entry corridor that led into large, circular commons area.  It was furnished with a few armchairs and a sofa that were positioned to face the fireplace at the far end of the room.  There was a small kitchen in the southwest corner and a bathroom in the southeast corner.  The bedrooms were located down corridors at the left and right sides of the room, with one on each side of each hallway.  Each of the four bedrooms had two medium-sized beds.


“So there are eight beds and six of us,” said Lara.  “That means two people will have their own room.  I personally don’t mind having a roommate.  Any other volunteers?”


“If you don’t mind, Mary, would you be roommates with me?” asked Lucie timidly.  “I don’t feel like being alone and since I kinda know you already…”


         “Gotcha,” replied Mary quickly.  “I get it; I figured you’d ask anyway since you’re a little shy.  So that leaves Heidi, Karen and Vivi.  Which one of you wants to be Lara’s roommate?”


“I will,” volunteered Vivi.  “It’ll be fun kinda like slumber party.  Except instead of one night it’s several weeks long.”


“That’s the spirit,” said Heidi with a smile.  She had to get in good with the girls so she wouldn’t appear dispensable.  “Look at us, getting along and becoming friends.”


“You’re right, Heidi,” agreed Karen.  “We’ll beat the boys easy if we can agree on things this quickly. I bet the other girls are getting along just like us.”


-----------------------


“Great!  It is just my luck to be stuck with the most dysfunctional group of freaks ever!  Our team is a complete mess!”


“What’s your problem now, Kendra?” asked Violet irritably.  While the young, blonde socialite had said she wanted some real-life drama, she was not happy with the idea of having a roommate who complained about everything.


“You’re all annoying me, that’s what!  And weren’t you the one who called me a bitch?” asked Violet menacingly.


Violets’ eyes went wide.  ‘Me and my big mouth’ she thought to herself.


“Alright, let’s just calm down,” suggested Melissa, who was trying to be the peacemaker.


“Quiet, elf.  I don’t need your lip,” scoffed Kendra.


“Excuse me?” asked Melissa, her voice beginning to fill with anger.  “Did you just call me an elf?”


“I don’t like small creatures,” replied Kendra venomously, putting emphasis on the word creatures.  “They’re always so annoying.”


“I don’t know about that last part but you’re definitely not small,” shot back Melissa.  In fact, I can’t decide what’s bigger; your mouth or you’re waistline.  Definitely not your brain though.”


“Oh, I know you did not just go there,” roared Kendra.  “Why don’t you be a good munchkin and hit the yellow-brick road already!”


“Oh, you two would be a hit on Broadway,” said Cheryl excitedly.  “I can see it now.  ‘She was always too small.  She was always too big.  Their paths never crossed. . .’”


“Hey, remember when I looked crazy for wanting to be with the guys,” said Alice, mostly talking to herself.  “Doesn’t seem so crazy now, does it?”


As all this going on, Jill was trying her best to cope with the chaos.  Unfortunately, she didn’t succeed.  “Everybody shut up!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.  Instantly, everyone stopped talking and turned towards her.  “Good.  Man, you guys are loud.  I mean, I work on a farm back home and the animals are usually pretty noisy.  But you guys . . . wow.  Now that I have your attention, we’re gonna decide who’s roommates with who.  And by we, I mean me.  So, any volunteers?”


“I’ll take a roommate.  How ‘bout it Cheryl?” asked Violet.  She figured that if she wanted to become friends with the quirky actress, being roommates would be a good way to start.


“Fine with me.  I’d want someone blond to talk to anyway,” replied Cheryl happily.


“Why someone blond?” asked Jill with a puzzled look.


“Isn’t it obvious?  I’m a brunette, so a roommate who’s the same would be redundant.  Y’know, if you’re gonna be our leader, you need to be on the ball more.”


“. . . Right.  Anyway, I think it’s clear Melissa and Kendra will kill each other if they’re in the same room long enough.  So which of you wants to be Alice’s roommate?”


“Hold on.  Why do you get your own room?” growled Kendra.


“Because I was smart enough to take the wheel, so I get to call the shots like that.  So who’s it gonna be?”


“What do you mean, ‘who’s it gonna be’, it has to be Melissa,” interjected Cheryl.


“Why me?  I mean, I was gonna say yes anyway, since Alice didn’t do anything to deserve Kendra as a roommate, but why does it ‘have’ to be me?” Melissa asked while ignoring the anger Kendra wore on her face.


“Hello!  Kendra, Alice, that’s two brunettes! Seriously, think woman, think!”


Melissa was starting to wonder which of Cheryl’s parents dropped her.  “I’m so sorry; sometimes I just don’t think these things through.  Crisis averted there,” she deadpanned.


“Amen to that,” agreed Cheryl while missing the sarcasm directed at her.  She then noted the time on the clock that hung above the fireplace.  “Well, that was an easy way to kill about fifteen minutes.  We’d better get going.”


--------------------


“Alright, I want no arguing.  We’re going to figure out bedding arrangements,” said Cyrus in a commanding tone.


“Geez, Alice was right when she said Mr. Serious,” quipped Ben as he stretched his arms.


“He’s right, you know,” said Barry.  “Planning things out leads to success.  My parents both work in corporate business, so they were pretty big on telling me stuff like that.”


“Really?  Did they also tell you to slick your hair back like that?” asked Victor.  Ben and Edward both had a small laugh at the remark.  Even Cyrus gave a small, brief smile, his first since arriving.


“Ha, ha, ha, never heard that one before,” replied Barry sarcastically.  “Anyway, who wants a roommate?”


“I have a lot of siblings at home, so I’m used to sharing a room,” offered Adriel quietly.


“I’ll take a roommate too,” Edward volunteered.  “Looks like we’re sharing a room, Adriel.”


“So who else wants to pair up?” asked Cyrus in his usual serious tone.  “If any of you don’t mind, I’d like a room to myself.”


“I thought you’d say that,” replied Victor.  “Ben, you seem sane-‘


“What, and I’m not?” interrupted Barry indignantly.


“So would you like to be roommates?” asked Victor, brushing off Barry’s question.


“Sure,” replied Ben simply.  “Anything for the team.”


“Glad to see someone’s putting the team above themselves,” said Cyrus in a mildly impressed tone.


“You seem very serious,” said Edward.  “You talk very serious too.  Why?”


“I came to win,” he replied, annoyed as if he thought the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.  “I also come from a military family and am the oldest of four children.  I know a few things about responsibility.”


Edward seemed somewhat startled Cyrus’s answer.  “Okay then.  Can’t argue with that.”


“Four children and you’re the oldest?” asked Adriel.  “That’s nothing like me.  I’m fourth out of six.”


“Really?  It’s just my younger sister and me,” said Ben.


“Only child,” added Barry with a smile that suggested pride.


“Middle child of three,” said Victor, since everyone seemed to talking about their siblings.


“Alright men, this isn’t first grade,” snapped Cyrus in frustration.  “We’re not here for Show and Tell.  Since all this chatter has taken up a lot of time, we might as well unpack with what time we have left and set our rooms up a little.  Take your suitcases to your rooms now and be ready to leave.”


With that, Cyrus, Adriel, Edward and Ben left with their suitcases to their rooms, although Edward could be heard grumbling ‘I didn’t get my turn’ under his breath.  Victor was about to leave when Barry grabbed him by the arm.


“Hold on,” he said.  “You never answered me.  Am I not sane?”


“Well excuse me,” replied Victor, “but I think you should be thanking me.  You got your own room, didn’t you?”


Barry hadn’t thought of that.  “True.  So what’s the catch?”


“Someone’s a little cynical.  What I was going to ask helps you out too.”


“Let me guess,” said Barry.  “An alliance?”


“Yes,” admitted Victor.  “Except we don’t target people.  We just help each other get as far as possible.  That way no one gets suspicious of anything.  It’s a win-win deal for you.”


Barry liked a lot of what he was hearing, but knew he had to make sure it was legit.  “And how do I know you won’t betray me?”


“Because I’d be losing a safety vote for team votes, that’s why,” explained Victor.  “C’mon man, I got you your own room just to get you to do something that helps you.  Haven’t I done enough to show I’d be a good friend?”


“. . . Alright, you’ve got a deal.  But if I ever find out about you trying to get rid of me-”


“I won’t, I swear,” interrupted Victor.


“Good.  Now hurry and take your suitcase to your room so Cyrus doesn’t’ think we’re plotting against him or something.  He seems like he’d get suspicious about anything.  Luckily, I don’t think Ben will ask a lot of questions.”


-------------------


“So it’s agreed.  Leon and I will be roommates, Calvin and Hershel will be roommates, and Miles and Tristan will have their own rooms.”


Everyone nodded yes in reply.


“Good,” said Joseph with a smile.  It could not have worked out better. With Leon in the same room with him, it would be easier to think and plan as a group.  It would require catching Heidi up on whatever they had talked about, but it was better than the three of them being in separate cottages.


“Nice to see you two are friends,” said Miles with a smirk.  “I thought you might have been at each other’s throats or something.”


Leon blinked in surprise.  “Why would we do that?”


“I saw you both talking to that Heidi chick.  Figured you might be trying to convince her who’s the better man.”


Joseph answered Miles inquiry calmly.  “Neither of us wanted to ask her out.  She seemed pretty cool and the three of us just hit it off.  No big deal.”


“Riiight,” said Miles with a grin.  “Well your ‘friend’ has a great rack.”


“Hey now, we gonna start checking the girls out this early?” asked Hershel.  “We don’t even know them that well.  Not to mention millions of people will be watching what we say on TV.


“I dunno, that girl Alice seems to be checking all of us out,” pointed out Calvin.  “Seems only fair we check the girls out.”


“So Tristan, you haven’t said anything,” said Miles.  “Any girls catch your eye?”


“I’ m not big on romance and stuff like that,” admitted Tristan, shrugging his shoulders.  “All I know is I like a girl who can give me a good challenge.  Maybe I'll tell you after the first challenge.  Y’know, if you’re still here.”


“Well, we’ll find out soon,” said Joseph.  “We’d better unpack.  We’ve got about ten minutes before we have to be in front of the mansion.”


-------------------


Soon after settling in with varying degrees of difficulty, the twenty-four contestants gathered to the front of the luxurious Grevner mansion.  The mansion itself was mostly made of yellow brick, with black at the outlines and on the roof.  The main structure was mostly cubical, with a few towers in various places.  There were several balconies jutting out near the top, connected by walkways that circled the entire mansion.  The contestants were currently in front of the red front doors, waiting for instruction.


The patio itself was made mostly made up of light shades of red, gray and blue stones set in circular patterns.  There was an entrance on both the left and right sides, also made of stone.  Several small, round tables with chairs were scattered about, with wooden benches resting on the stone railings on both sides.


Warren stood in front of the crowd of contestants, the large red doors behind him.  “Welcome everyone,” he said, “to both Grevner Estates and A Competitive Community.  Mr. Grevner is happy to see all of you arrived safely and are ready to compete.  Unfortunately, one of you will be leaving us almost as soon as you arrived, for there will be an elimination tonight.


“Already?” asked Karen with raised eyebrows.  “Guess that’s one way to kick off a competition.”


“That’s the idea.  Now, your first challenge should be fairly easy.  There are five golden stones hidden around Mr. Grevner’s estate.  They can be found anywhere outside.  Your task is to find three of them and bring them back to the show’s panel of three judges. 


“Um, sir?  We didn’t meet any judges,” said Adriel.


“First of all, you can just call me Warren,” replied the host.  “Second, I understand that.  They’re inside right now, waiting for you all to scatter.  Once you all leave, they’ll be out here waiting at a table.  Once you have a stone, come back to the patio to turn it in.  When a team has a turned in a stone, it will be announced over the intercom system set up around the entire area.  If you return to the patio for any reason, you are to remain here until the challenge is complete.  The first team to turn in three stones will be declared the winner and will receive a reward that will be revealed after the challenge.  The losing team will have its members vote one of their own out of the competition.  Any questions?”


Ben raised his hand.  “What if neither team finds three stones?  What if there’s a tie?”


“Good question.  Your end time is 6:00 tonight.  If neither team has three stones, we will go with whichever team has the most as the winner.  If there’s a tie, the team who got their one or two stones in first will be the winner.  According to my watch, it is 2:52 right now.  So you have about three hours to complete your task.  Any other questions?”


No one else had anything to ask.


“Alright then.  One last thing before you go.  The white door to the left of the red doors behind me is the venting room.  If you ever want to talk about anything that’s going on, feel free to use it anytime you like.  And with that, you’re off!”


Knowing what they had to accomplish, the two teams quickly began strategizing how to go about their task.


----------------------


“Alright girls,” said Mary, trying to take charge.  The two teams had gathered on opposite sides of a large, bushy tree near the mansion to come up with their search plans.  “I think the best idea would be to split into four groups of three.  That way, we can cover a lot of ground and we all have support to help us.”


Her eleven teammates agreed with the idea.  “So how do we decide the groups?” asked Jill.  “We don’t want to force anyone to work with someone they don’t like.”


“Why were you looking at me when you said that?” asked Kendra suspiciously.


“It’s okay Kendra, I’ll go with you,” said Karen, earning a sigh of relief and several looks of thanks from the other girls.


(Venting Video 1)


Karen:  So this is the venting room.  Nice wallpaper; I love purple.  They could have put more than just a chair in here, though.  Anyway, you’re probably wondering why I volunteered to babysit Kendra.  ‘Cause no one else wanted to, that’s why.  No one will want to vote me off after taking one for the team.


(End of Video)


“So who wants to be our third?” asked Karen.


“Eh, why not?” said Violet stepping forward.  “We’ll be the first team.”


“Okay then,” said Mary.  “Any other requests?”


“Mind if I go with you?” asked Heidi politely.  “I’d like to go with a fellow Cottage A girl since we all get along real well.”


(Venting Video 2)


Heidi:  Or it’s just because she’s becoming sort of a leader, both in our Cottage and for the team as a whole.  And it’s always good to have the person calling the shots like you.  Until (smiles sinisterly) they’re not calling the shots anymore.


(End of Video)


“Ooh, I like that idea,” exclaimed Vivi.  “Can I go with you guys too?”


“Wow, feels good to get all this attention,” said Mary, smiling.  “Glad I applied already.”


“Mary, wait,” said Lucie softly, timidly raising her hand.  “I wanted to go with you.  What am I gonna do now?”


“Oh, come on,” said Melissa in faux exasperation.  “Lucie, sweetheart, you’re killing me here.  You haven’t left Mary’s side this whole time.  I bet you even asked her to be roommates.”


“Oh my gosh, are you like a psychic or something?” asked Vivi incredulously.


“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Melissa.  “Point is, you need to work with more people than just the girl you met first when you shared her limo with her.  How’s this, we hit it off, you can team up with me!”


“Um, okay,” said Lucie, unsure if Melissa was always this outspoken.  “Guess we just need a third now.”


“Okay, I’ll do it,” said Cheryl excitedly.  “I’d be perfect!  Melissa’s right Lucie, you’re so stiff.  Who better than Miss Cheryl Trassew to help you have fun?”


“Now Cheryl, I’m not sure this is the best idea . . .” began Lara in concern for Lucie.


“Oh, I get it.  You were hoping to semi-alone in a forest with me,” said Cheryl.  “Let me guess, it’s the girls, isn’t it?  I understand, they’ve got a hold over most people anyway.  Tell you what, I’ll go with you and if we find a stone, maybe I’ll give you a little sneak pe-”


“. . . But I would love to get to know Alice and Jill!  Come on girls, let’s go search for those stones!” the prim and proper girl said with cheeks as red as her hair as she scurried off westward.


“Wait, where are we going?” asked Alice as she and Jill hurried to catch up with their teammate.


“Anywhere else would be great; just keep moving!”


And with that, the first search party had left the other nine girls behind.


“Okay,” said Mary, trying to break the uncomfortable silence Cheryl had created.  “Cheryl, that was . . . awkward.  And disturbing.”


“And rude!” exclaimed Cheryl indignantly.  “Honestly, I was just kidding.  In my theater circles back home, everybody fake flirted with each other all the time.”


“So what you’re saying is Alice should join a theatre troupe,” quipped Kendra.


Melissa had to laugh at that remark.  “That’s actually what I was thinking!  At least there’s one thing we see eye to eye on.”


“No, for us to see eye to eye I’d have to not look down on you.”


Melissa frowned.  “So much for that.  Come on team, let’s just scatter and search.  And Cheryl, you better not joke about showing me your boobs while we’re looking for the stones.”


“Why even bother, you clearly won’t have fun with it.  Besides, at your height level, you’re probably always staring at my chest anyway.”


Kendra let out a huge laugh at the accidental insult as the three remaining groups split off in to different directions.


(Venting Video 3)


Melissa:  I wonder if this is how the people on the Titanic felt when they realized they hit the iceberg.


(static)


Kendra (laughing hysterically):  That just made my day!  I might just need to keep that psycho-freak around just for laughs.


(End of Video)


“Aw man!  So close,” Miles complained with a snap of his fingers. Along with the rest of his team, with the exception of Hershel, he had observed the drama unfold with the girls and was disappointed Lara hadn’t taken Cheryl’s “offer.”  Hershel, meanwhile, had been staring upward at the tree they were gathered under.


“You’ll get over it, I’m sure,” deadpanned Cyrus.  “Getting back on track, I think the girls have a solid strategy.  So we’ll divide into groups of three as well.  I’m ready to assign them for all of your if you don’t have anyone in mind.”


“Joseph and I will go,” said Leon immediately.  “Calvin, care to join us?”


“Uh, thanks, I guess,” said Calvin confused.  “Why me?”


“You seem fun,” said Joseph.  “You made that clear when you got here.”


Calvin smiled.  “Glad someone gets having fun.  Cyrus, be more like them!”


“Oh good, I was wondering who I should make my role model.  Adriel, Edward, you’ll come with me.”


“Why us?” asked Adriel.


“You’re nervous, so I need to help get you going.  Since I’m reasonable, I’m taking Edward since you seem friendly with him.  Now who will the other two groups be?”


“I’ll go with Victor,” said Barry, acting on the proposed friendship alliance.  “We kinda hit it off back at the cottage, so I think we’ll work well together.  Tristan, you’ve got energy, how ‘bout joining us?”


“Kay,” Tristan replied while running in place.  “Let’s go already, I don’t wanna just stand and talk!”


With that, Tristan left to search for the stones, with his search mates asking him to slow down so they could catch up.


“Well that just leaves me, Miles, and Hershel,” said Ben.  Miles nodded in agreement, while Hershel was still staring at the tree intently.  “I guess we could start looking.”


“Sound advice,” said Cyrus.  “Now fan out and search.  We don’t want the girls to get an early lead.”


Cyrus left with Edward and Adriel, while Joseph and Leon trotted off with Calvin.  Miles was ready to go, but couldn’t since Hershel was still looking at the tree.


“Hey, nature boy, I know the tree looks great and all, but we gotta get a move on!


Hershel then started walking toward the tree.


“Are you listening to me?  Look pal, if you’re gonna brush me off like that, know that means you just bought yourself a vote.


Ben meanwhile was watching to see what Hershel was doing.  Once Hershel was at the base of the tree, he jumped up and started shaking several of the branches.


“Dude, what the hell are you-” started Miles loudly in irritation.


After a few seconds of the branches shaking, however, he got his answer when a small, golden stone fell from the branches.  Miles stared down at it in complete shock before looking up at Hershel.


“What the-? How did you know to do that?”


Hershel figured he’d ask that.  “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?  I guess I was too busy not paying attention to you and as we know, nothing good comes from that.”


(Venting Video 4)


Ben:  Miles should give Hershel a tip.  Because he just got served.


(static)


Miles (With an eye roll):  Fine, I made a mistake.  Hershel earns my respect for that.  Also, glad, other people stepped up to lead.  Being leader makes you a target if your team loses, and I don’t want that risk.


(static)


Hershel:  If they’re outside, a couple would obviously be in trees.  I figured ‘why not the one we’re under?’


(End of Video)


“Okay, fine,” said Miles, raising his hands to concede he was wrong.  “I know when I’m shown up.  Sorry we sorta got off to a bad start.  Truce?” he said while extending an arm for a handshake.


“Truce,” said Hershel, accepting it out of his peace loving nature.  “Now let’s go turn in the stone,” he said as he picked it up.  “Good thing we’re right by the mansion anyway.”


The three boys climbed walked backed to the mansion patio.  Once there, they found Warren seated at one of the round tables, talking with three other people.  One was a twenty-something woman in a red cocktail dress; her light brown hair done in a fashionable ponytail.  Next to her was an older man with short dark brown hair and stubble much like Cyrus.  He was wearing a blue suit with a matching pair of pants and a black tie.  Sitting next to him, was a Slavic woman who seemed to be between the other two in age.  She had a yellow top on and a red skirt.  In her hand was a black hairbrush she was using to comb her blond hair.


“Oh look, one of the stones has been found already,” said the younger woman.  “Much quicker than I thought; well done.  My name is Caterina, in case you were wondering.  The man next to me is Thaddeus, and the woman brushing her hair is Ingrid.  We’re the judges Mr. Grevner hired for A Competitive Community.”


“And it looks like ole Reginald cast the contest well,” spoke Thaddeus with a nod of approval.  “Thinking to look right in front of you, very smart young man.  For some reason, there a lot of people who can’t seem to do that.”


“Err, thanks,” said Hershel humbly, happy to have made a good first impression.


“So the boys have the early lead,” mused Ingrid, putting her hairbrush down.  “Awesome job finding a stone just as everyone else is getting started, that’s really impressive.  I better announce the score over the intercom.”


She then picked up a speaker that was connected to the intercom system and spoke into it.


“Attention everyone . . .”


------------------------------


“The boys have found a golden stone already? Dammit, we’re already behind!”


“Well Cheryl, if you’d stop telling Lucie stories about your past in the theatre, maybe she’d stop shaking and pick up the pace!


“I’m sorry Melissa; it’s just she tells them so menacingly, it’s not even funny.”


The trio of girls was now trying even harder now that they knew their team was losing.


“Maybe one of ‘em is on the ground and we haven’t noticed,” said Cheryl.


“No, thanks to you, Lucie has had her head down the whole time.  She would have noticed,” replied Melissa.


“Ooh, I have an idea,” said Cheryl excitedly.  “Here’s what we’ll do.  Melissa, you comb the ground since you’re closest to it.  Lucie, you can- oh, well peace sign to you to Melissa, but you forgot the other finger.”


“Yeah, ‘forgot,’” said Melissa dryly using air quotes.


“Well, at least you remember how air quotes work.  Anyway, Lucie can check the trees.”


“What?” squeaked Lucie.


“And I’ll check any shrubs, ponds or streams since I don’t mind getting wet or pricked.”


“Can we switch jobs?” asked Lucie hopefully.


“Aw, c’mon Lucie.  That doesn’t even make any sense.”


This plan makes no sense!” cried Melissa exasperatedly.


-----------------------------


Meanwhile, Cyrus had been leading Adriel and Ben through another part of the forest.


“Keep your eyes peeled,” instructed Cyrus.  “One of the stones could be right around the corner.


“What if we don’t win?” asked Adriel.


“First off, we already have a lead.  Second, we’ll figure it out only if it happens.  Now try to think better than that.”


“Don’t worry Adriel, if we have to vote, I’ll pick someone else,” assured Edward.


“Thanks, man.”


“Focus,” said Cyrus.  “As the unofficial leader of this team, it’ll be on me if one of you is the first to fall.  And I won’t let that happen.  We will win, we will get a reward, and we will ask the girls to get rid of that irritating Alice girl.  We clear?”


The other boys, motivated by their captains’ speech, nodded.  “Good, now let’s head out and show those ladies whose boss!”


“Y'know, I don’t think Alice is that annoying,” said Edward.  “I think she just doesn’t wanna be alone.


---------------------------


“You’re really annoying me Alice!  C’mon Lara, sure you don’t wanna ditch her?” asked Jill.


“No, that’s not good for the team,” replied Lara.  Although, if this were that would-be flasher Cheryl we were talking about . . .”


The three girls were not in the forest, but were walking around the grassy plains of the estate, searching for a stone that could be on the ground.


“I can’t help my hormones,” said Alice, trying to justify herself.  “I’m a romantic.”


“You’re easy,” said Jill flatly.


“Lara!  Jill’s mean to me!”


“Alice, sweetie, I know you want to get far in this contest.  Let me try to help you and suggest you trying to have more than a one-track mind.”


Alice crossed her arms.  “Wow, you sound like my parents.  But I guess I could try.  Let’s try the hedge maze Mr. Grevner has.  There’s probably a stone in the center.”


“Good girl.  Let’s hurry up, the boys are winning.”


---------------------


Slow down, Tristan!” said Barry while gasping for air.  He and Victor had been running to keep up with Tristan.


(Venting Video 5)


Barry (gasping):  So I’m not in the best shape, get over it!


(End of Video)


“C’mon guys, you gotta do better than that!” he simply said for the third time.  “We need to find one of the stones so we can show the team why we shouldn’t get voted off.”


         “Okay, they’re probably somewhere that would make them hard to find,” reasoned Victor.  “How ‘bout that hedge maze over there?  I bet one of the stones is in the center and we just need to figure out the maze.”


“Good idea,” agreed Barry.  “Let’s try it out.  You do use your mind Victor.  I bet no one else has even thought of checking the maze out.”


And so the three guys began their trek through the hedge maze, unaware that Lara, Alice and Violet had entered from the other side.


(Venting Video 6)


Barry:  Tristan has the muscles, Victor has the brains.  I so got the best team.


(End of Video)


Back at the cottage area, Vivi, Mary and Heidi were searching to find a golden stone.  Mary was slightly frantic at the idea the girls were losing early on in the challenge.


“We’ve got to find one!  Where could they be?” she asked as she inspected the porch of Boys Cottage B.


“This really isn’t good,” said Vivi, who wasn’t as bubbly as she’d been before.  “I don’t want to lose on the first day.”


“Don’t worry Vivi, I’m sure we’re gonna be fine,” said Heidi calmly.  Heidi than noticed Leon and Joseph behind her cottage, motioning her over.  “You two keep searching, I’m gonna look behind the cottages.”  She then moved quickly so they would see her rendezvous with two of their opponents.


“What is it?” she whispered to them.  “I don’t know how we’re going to work out an alliance that’s split between the teams.”


“If you’d pipe down, Joseph has a plan for this challenge,” replied Leon.  “You think it was a coincidence our groups were in the same area?  We followed you here, although it was hard with Calvin going all ADD on us and wandering everywhere.”


“Fine, tell me.”


(Venting Video 7)


Joseph:  I’m surprised she didn’t come up with the plan herself.  After all, she’s the one who said she doesn’t play well with other girls.


(End of Video)


“Hey Mary,” said Joseph, walking up to the Asian- American girl.  “How’s the search going?”


“A lot better for you than me,” she replied glumly while still scanning some nearby trees.  “Our team is losing.  I don’t know how you guys got one of the stones so fast.”


“Yeah, I’m not even sure who turned it in for us,” said Joseph.  “How are the girls getting along?”


“Eh, I guess the girls in my cottage are fine.  The girls in Cottage B are a nightmare though!  Cheryl even tried to flash Lara and said that was her way of being ‘nice’.  We can’t win this way!”


“You think you’ve got it bad?  Calvin can’t focus on anything; he just goes wherever he wants to!  We think he has ADD or something.”


“I can top that!  Not only do I have to deal with Kendra causing everyone problems . . .”


(Venting Video 8)


Mary:  It felt good to vent to someone who understood.  Honestly, our team is gonna get crushed unless they can get their act together.”


(End of Video)


As Mary and Joseph talked about their teammates, Karen, Violet, and Kendra were trekking around the surrounding forest.


“Geez, this is taking forever,” whined Kendra.  “How is it that we haven’t found any yet?”


“Kendra, remember that little chat we had when you got here?” reminded Karen.  “If you wanna get far, you have to be more patient.”


“Although it’s better than being quiet all day,” argued Violet.  “My parents are socialites.  All they do is talk with their friends about how much money they have, how to not lose money, how their business is getting money, blah, blah, blah, it’s so boring!”


“I’ll try having some patience and talk to you,” said Kendra, making sure every word sounded like an effort to say.  “So what do your parents do?”


Violet shrugged.  “I dunno.”


Karen and Kendra looked at her in disbelief.  “What do you mean you don’t know?  You said it’s all they talk about!” yelled Kendra.


“Yeah, and I also said it’s boring.  So I never paid attention.”


“So wait, you’re like eighteen and you actually don’t know what your parents do?” asked Karen.


“Nope.”


(Venting Video 9)


Kendra:  Here’s my theory.  They drop her on her head.  Every day.  Fifties and hundreds must fall out.  Not like she has anything else in there.


(End of Video)


“We’ve been walking for like an hour and a half now.  When are we gonna find a stone?”


“Kendra, we might not even find one.”


“What?  No way, we are not going to waste my time and say we didn’t get one!” Kendra then gave a hard punch to tree nearest to her, only to reel her hand back in pain.


“See?” said Karen, holding her hands out in frustration.  “Anger isn’t going to get you any-“


At that moment, a golden stone that had been placed in an empty bird nest, fell out and landed in Karen’s open palm.  She looked down at it in shock, then at Kendra, who wore an expression that was a mix of triumph and smugness.


“Shut it.  That was a coincidence.”


-----------------------------------------


“What is taking so long, Adriel?” called up Cyrus.  “Pick up the pace!”


The three boys had found a stone on a large Maple tree.  It was perched on an intercom that rested at the top of the tree.


“I’m doing the best I can,” the short and shy Puerto Rican boy replied.  “It’s not easy to scale what’s like the tallest tree ever when you’re afraid of heights!”


“You can do it, buddy,” encouraged Edward.  “Just take your time.”


“What are you, his overly sensitive mother?” growled Cyrus.


“What are you, his uptight dad?”


(Venting Video 10)


Cyrus (clapping sarcastically):  Great comeback, Edward.  I hope it was worth the vote I’m going to cast for you if we lose.


(End of Video)


“Just a little more,” Adriel said as he climbed the last branch.  “Got it!” he said joyously as he grabbed the stone.


“Way to go!” cheered Edward.


“Alright now, just throw the stone to me and start climbing down,” instructed Cyrus as he stepped back from the tree.


“Okay,” said Adriel as he reared back his hand.  “One, two-”


“Attention everyone!” the intercom behind him blared with Thaddeus’s voice.


“Yaaaaaaaah!” screamed Adriel with a jolt, which caused him to hurl the stone over Cyrus’s head and beyond.


“Kendra, Jill, and Karen have found a stone for the girls.  Boys, you better pick up the pace if you don’t want to lose.  That is all.”


Cyrus looked where the stone had gone, then at Adriel in pure anger.  “Great.  Just great.”


--------------------------


“C’mon, Lucie.  Let’s try one more time.”


“Stop saying ‘let’s’.  It implies we’re both going to go through this nightmare.”


“So you fell from a tree branch a few times and got a little scratched up.  Stop being overdramatic.”


Lucie snapped her head in Cheryl’s direction.  “I’m overdramatic?


“I know, it’s always hard the first time you hear it,” said Cheryl sympathetically.  “Melissa, stop skipping stones across the pond.”


“Might as well,” Melissa replied, as she adjusted her blue shirt.  “These are the only stones we’ve found.”


As she prepared to skip another plain stone, a golden landed right behind her.


“What was that?” asked Melissa.  She turned around and immediately dropped the stones she was holding.  “Oh my gosh, look you guys!  It’s a golden stone!  She picked it up as her teammates ran over to her.


“Way to go, Melissa!  Where’d it come from?” asked Cheryl.


“Well, I know it sounds weird, but it just fe-ahhh!” Melissa tripped over the stones she had set on the ground.  This caused the golden stone to fly out of her hands, and into the middle of the pond.


“Dammit,” cursed Melissa.  “Well Cheryl, looks like you got this one.”


Cheryl raised her hands in objection.  “Uh, no way.  You were the one who lost it.  Therefore, you have to be the one to get it.”


Melissa’s eyes narrowed.  ‘You can’t be serious.”


“Do I sound like I’m joking?”


“All the time.”


--------------------------


“Man, where is that center?  I wanna get that stone already!” said Tristan loudly.


“It should be getting close,” reassured Victor.  “Just be patient.  We don’t want the girls to get the idea to come search here.”


“Amen to that,” agreed Barry.  “A fight over one of the stones is the last thing we need, especially since the score is now tied.”


“Guys, I trained harder than usual for weeks when I heard I was on the show.  I’m going to college on athletic scholarships and I need to show good performance if I’m on national television.  We gotta pick up the pace!”


“It’s okay, Tristan, we’ll get it,” said Victor.  “Like I said we’re probably near the center.”


-------------------------


“Are we ever gonna get near the center,” asked Jill.  “I knew Alice shouldn’t have picked directions!”


“I’m trying, okay?” Alice snapped back.  “You haven’t been the one who’s been told for the last ten minutes all the dangers of ‘promiscuity’ and that the way you act can be called a classic case of it.  Meanwhile, said lecturer doesn’t want any talking about her little incident with Cheryl.”


“I lectured because I want to help you,” Lara said in justification.  “And stop talking about that!  Cheryl seriously freaked me out, how did she consider that appropriate?”


“While all this talk about hormones and insane actresses has been fun, we’ve been down four dead ends,” complained Jill.  “I swear, if we go down a fifth-”


“Look guys, there it is!” exclaimed Lara and Victor to their respective parties since, as luck would have it, the boys and the girls arrived at the same time.  Once they noticed the presence of their opponents, though, everyone had a serious expression on their face.


Barry was the first to speak. “So Lara, you’re a pretty girl.  Maybe you can help me out with something . . .”


“Oh no!  The nuns at Catholic School always said to say no when a boy starts a question off like that.  Granted, I’m sure it’s the stone you were gonna ask for, but still.”


“Listen, it’s been fun chatting and all, but I’m gonna need that stone,” said Tristan stepping forward.


“And here’s the part where I tell you that I’m gonna need it more,” said Jill stepping forward.


“Is that a challenge?” asked Tristan with a raised eyebrow.


“No, it’s a fact.”


(Venting Video 11)


Tristan:  A showdown!  Now this is where it gets interesting.


(static)


Lara:  I told Jill I’d get unwanted male attention if I took her suggestion.  ‘Unbutton the top button of my top if I’m hot,’ she says.  Why don’t I just get a pair of fishnet stockings while I’m at it!


(End of Video)


“And you just want everyone to get along, and there’s just some people who go out of their way to stop that!” exclaimed Mary.


“I swear, some of my teammates seem exactly like that!” agreed Joseph.  “A lot of them want to lead and they won’t listen to each other.”


“So, um, why is Mary talking to that guy over there if we’re supposed to be looking for the stones?” Vivi asked Heidi.  The two search parties were still combing the cottage area for a golden stone.


“Well, this is just an idea, but maybe Mary’s feeling a little bit of the L-word,” Heidi replied slyly.


“. . . Laryngitis?”


“I meant love.  And who are to stop it?  I think they look cute together.”


“Well, if you say so,” said a confused Vivi.  “I’ll keep looking.


While Vivi looked around for one of the stones, Heidi sat on the edge of the fountain.  As she thought about what to do depending on if her team won or lost, something caught her eye in the water.  Peering closer, she noticed a small, golden stone.


“Perfect,” she whispered to herself.


-----------------------------


“Told you I’d get that stone,” shouted Tristan to his teammates as the boys ran from the three girls pursuing them.


“Jill, this is where you shine, okay?” said Alice through huffs of breath.  “Lara and I are not fast enough to catch up!”


“Gotcha,” replied Jill with a thumbs up.  “We gotta hurry; we don’t want the boys to-”


“Attention all contestants!” the intercom crackled to the sound of Caterina’s voice.  “Leon has turned in the second stone for his team!”


(Venting Video 12)


Heidi:  Oh, darn it!  If only I hadn’t tripped when I had found that stone.  Curse that Leon!  (Winks at the camera)


(End of Video)


“Okay then, it looks if we lose this stone our team loses the whole thing,” said Lara.  “Looks like we have a little pressure now.”


“Like there wasn’t any before,” muttered Alice.


“Don’t worry guys, I’m on it,” said Jill.  The tomboy started to sprint Tristan.  “Hey, Jock Boy, I believe you got something of mine!”  She then tackled him to the ground.  “Aha, gotcha!  Now hand it . . . over?  Where is it?


“Barry knew you’d try to stop just the one you thought had the stone,” answered Tristan with a smile.  “So we switched it while you weren’t looking.  Nice tackle, though.”


“What?” she said as she looked and saw Victor heading for the patio, with Lara and Alice feebly trying to catch up.  “No!”


----------------------------


“Whew!  I’m out of breath,” said Barry as the three boys walked up the stairs of the patio.  The judges, noticing them approaching, let out cheers of rejoice.


“And it looks like the boys have won!” said Thaddeus, nodding in approval.  “This is going to give you an early lead.”


“So we won?  Sweet,” said Miles to Ben and Hershel.  “We didn’t even have to do much thanks to Hershel finding a stone so early.”


“Yeah! Score one for the boys!” cheered Calvin.


“What?  How did we lose by two stones?” asked Karen with disappointment, while Violet, Mary, And Vivi just slumped down in defeat.  As Lara, Alice, and Jill came running up after the boys, they too slumped once they realized it was too late.


“Well, I don’t know about you or flower girl,” said Kendra in reference to Violet, “but I found a stone.  I had better be staying.”


Leon, Joseph, and Heidi all looked at each other in satisfaction, smiling.


(Venting Video 13)


Leon:  Looks like this plan is working perfectly.


(End of Video)


“Well then,” said Warren, clearing in his throat, “better announce the results.”  He then picked up the intercom.  “Attention everyone.  The boys have won the challenge!”


-------------------------------------


Cyrus, who had been walking with Edward and Adriel silently after losing their stone, stopped right his tracks.  “We’ve won?” he said with small amount of emotion showing in his voice.  “Even with our setback?”


-------------------------------------


“What?” cried Melissa, who had just emerged from the pond with the missing stone.  “Are you [censored for public broadcast] kidding me?”


“Well Melissa, if you had been a little faster, maybe we wou- again, peace sign to you too, but you forgot one of the fingers.”


-------------------------------------


Soon after the announcement, all twenty-four contestants had gathered at the patio.


“Contestants, I first like to congratulate you all for giving it your best during the opening challenge.  That being said, the boys did win.  For your efforts, not only will you boys be rewarded with immunity, you also receive a reward.  Let’s all go into the mansion to see what it is.”


Once everybody had entered the large, red doors, they found themselves in a foyer with a large chandelier, manila walls, and red carpeting with a yellow diamond pattern.  There were hallways leading left, right, and forward, as well as a staircase to the next floor.  The hallway going forward in particular was the widest and had the most doors coming from it.


Warren led the contestants down the left hallway.  At the end of it they came to a pair of white double doors.  “This,” he said as he opened them up, “is the dining room.


The room had four large, round tables with white table cloths.  Several rectangular tables were set up at the walls containing various foods laid out buffet-style, along with paper plates and plastic kitchenware.  One table at the end consisted solely of desserts, such as cake, pastries, and cookies.


“Looks nice, huh?” he asked as several contestants started to water at the mouth.  “For the boys, however, it will be a little nicer as their reward will be access to the desert bar.”


A lot of male cheering ensued, promptly accommodated with female groaning.


“Why did we have to lose?” asked Vivi remorsefully.  “Those desserts look so good and now I can’t have any.”


Heidi immediately saw her chance to get the next part of the plan rolling.  “Well now, I don’t think it’s that shocking we lost.  After all, Mary said it best; the girls in Cottage B aren’t working well together.”


“What?” snapped Kendra towards Mary, with the other Cottage B girls glared at her.  “Is that true?”


Mary’s eyes went wide.  “Uh, well-”


(Venting Video 14)


Mary:  I can’t believe Heidi did that!  She’s trying to push blame on me when she’s the one who lost a stone to the boys like that?  And to think I thought she was nice!


(End of Video)


         “Well,” continued Heidi in as innocent a tone she could manage, “Joseph had simply asked her how were things going and I guess she needed to vent a little, what with being annoyed with, in her words, Cheryl’s antics and Kendra causing problems for everyone.  To me though, it looked like Mary had a little bit of a crush on him.”


“It’s not like that,” sputtered Mary, trying to defend herself.  “Heidi, you are so exaggerating what happened!”


“Wait a minute, how come Mary’s allowed to flirt but I can’t?” asked Alice angrily.


“ And antics?” Cheryl asked in a clearly offended tone.  The boys at this point were silently following the conversation.  “What’s that supposed to mean, like I’m just a court jester to you?”


         “Funny you should talk about jesters,” said Lara icily, “Because I was definitely made a fool of on national television today when a certain someone offered to flash me her chest.”


“Ugh, you’re still on that?” Cheryl groaned in irritation.  “It was a joke, get over it.  Honestly, in my theatre circles, no one would bat an eye at that, much less bitch about it  for this long.”


“Really?  A joke?”” Lara retorted with fake wonder in her voice.  “That’s funny, because where I’m from, we have a different word for that kind of behavior:  Promiscuous.”


“Oh, so a little playful flirting and suddenly I’m a slut?” asked Cheryl.


         “Welcome to the club,” deadpanned Alice.  “Your orientation’s next Wednesday, be sure not to wear anything ‘provocative’, as Lara says.”


“Ladies,” said Warren, who was trying regain control of the situation.  “It’s clear there’s a lot of tension on the team.  May I suggest taking it out in the most productive way possible:  a vote off.  Boys, you all stay here and starting serving yourselves dinner.  Girls, you are to each visit the Venting Room where will say to the camera who you wish to cast a vote for.  Once you have a cast a vote, you are to walk all the way down the middle hallway in the foyer until reach the double doors at the end of it.  They are the entrance to the auditorium, which is where the vote off will take place.  I will see you all there in a few minutes.”


Having finished his instructions, the affable host turned to leave to the auditorium, while the girls left in hopes of getting rid of someone they didn’t like.


(Venting Video 15)


Violet:  Now this is what I’m talking about!  The drama, the arguing, it’s all so exciting!  I hope I’m here for a long time.


(static)


Miles:  So wait, all that arguing and bitching at each other and no catfight?  Lame.


(End of Video)


The girls had now gathered in the auditorium.  It was a very grand room, with rows of theatre seats and balconies from the higher stories of the mansion.  They were all positioned towards a large stage with grand red curtains.  On that stage, the girls were sitting in simple black chairs set up for them as they waited for Warren, who was on a podium in front of them, to announce the results.  As they waited, several cast icy glances towards each other, though no one said a word.


“Welcome girls, to the first elimination of A Competitive Community,” Warren announced grandly as if the entire auditorium really did have an audience watching them.  “This is going to be very simple.  I will call your names individually to announce who’s safe.  When your name is hopefully called, you are to walk back to the dining room and begin making yourselves dinner.  And remember, no desserts.  As for the person who is eliminated, you are to pack your things and move to the guest house across the road from Mr. Grevner’s estate, where all contestants who are eliminated will stay during the remainder of the season.


“Let’s get to it, then.  The first girl who is safe is . . . Alice.”


“Aw, yeah!,” cheered Alice as she pumped her fists.  “Thanks guys.”  She then quickly exited, presumably to enjoy being alone with all the guys if even for a few minutes.


“Alright, the second one of you who is safe is . . .Melissa.”


Melissa let out a small cheer.  “Man, that’s a relief,” she said gratefully.  Melissa walked out of the auditorium at a relaxed pace, happy she was declared safe as early as she was.


“The next girl to join Alice and Melissa is . . .Jill.”


Jill was so happy she nearly sprang out of her chair.  “Thanks so much, and good luck to all of you.  Except for Kendra, of course.”  Kendra just growled at the tomboy as she left the stage.


“The next person who can go and enjoy their dinner is . . .Karen.”


A smile spread across Karen’s face, although she had been one of the calmer girls during the entire ordeal.  “To whoever is here for another round, we are gonna show those boys who they’re messing with.”  She quickly left the room and its ever growing tension.


Warren continued with the results.  “The next girl to get some peace of mind is . . .Violet.”


Violet let out a very audible sigh of relief.  “Oh thank goodness, the suspense was killing me.”  Wishing the remaining girls good luck, she walked away quickly to eat her dinner.


“The next girl who is safe is . . .Lara.”


Lara got up and gave her teammates a small curtsy.  “I thank you all for not choosing and I hope we will not be here again.”  She then left the remaining girls who by now were starting to get nervous.


“Okay then, we’re down to half of you,” said Warren.  “All the girls who have left already did not receive any votes, as well as one of you right here.  And that lucky girl is . . .Vivi.


“Woo hoo!” cheered Vivi.  “Thank you all so much for not voting for me.  I’m gonna have to work really hard now to show I deserved it.”


“Okay,” said Warren as Vivi practically skipped away, “That just leaves Mary, Cheryl, Kendra, Heidi and Lucie.  All of you got at least one vote, but only one of you got the most, and I can tell you now that girl is . . . not Lucie.”


Lucie, who by far was the most nervous girl during the elimination procedure, actually had a few tears in her eyes when she was declared safe.  “Oh my gosh, we can’t lose again!  I just can’t take the stress.”  She then turned to her roommate.  “But what about Mary?”


“Don’t worry Lucie, I’ll be fine,” reassured Mary, although she was a little nervous herself.


Warren cleared his throat.  “Okay then, another girl who did not have the most votes is . . . Heidi.”


“What?” exclaimed Mary in shock, while Heidi just walked away silently with a smile on her face.  “No way.”


“Sorry Mary, she didn’t have the most votes,” said Warren with a shrug.  “And neither did Kendra.”


“Hmph, about time you called my name,” said Kendra arrogantly.  “I’m gonna go get dinner now before I get too irritated it took this long to get to me.”


“So that leaves Cheryl and Mary as the last two girls,” announced Warren with a somewhat dramatic tone.  “Only one of you can continue on to the second team challenge.  And that persons’ name is . . .”


Cheryl and Mary look at each other nervously.  While neither had voted for Kendra, they were surprised she had been declared safe before either of them.  Cheryl began twirling her hair to calm her nerves, while Mary began fiddling with the lace at the waist of her dress.  Neither girl took her eyes off Warren as they waited for the final result.


“ . . . Cheryl.”


The actress let out a huge sigh of relief.  “That was too close,” she said almost breathlessly.  “Sorry about that Mary . . . uh, Mary?”


Mary was just sitting in her seat with a look of shock plastered on her face.  “I’m out?” she stated blankly.  ‘’I’m out first?  I, I just can’t believe it.”


“I know,” said Warren, “no one thinks it’s going to be them who goes first.  Well Mary, pack your bags.  You’re moving to the guest house.”


------------------------


Meanwhile, back in the dining room, the other twenty-two contestants were busy with their dinners, though several had their eyes on the door.  Victor and Karen however, had taken the time to catch up.


“So you wanted Cheryl to go?” asked Victor.


“It’s just that she’s a loose cannon, y’know?”  replied Karen.  “That’s not good for the team.”


“Well, at least it’s not you who’s going,” Victor pointed out.


         Just then, the doors opened up to reveal the final girl who was safe.  “Hi everyone,” said Cheryl happily with a wave.


         Karen let out a groan an muttered something about being “so close,” under her breath.


“Wait a minute,” cried Lucie in realization.  “If you’re safe, then that means . . .” her voice trailed off.


         Cheryl lost her smile at seeing Lucie upset.  “Yeah, Mary’s gone.  If you wanna say goodbye, she’s probably in her room right now, packing her things.”


         Lucie ran as fast as she could.


------------------------


         “Mary,” Lucie cried  with tears as she ran into what was to be their room.  “How did this happen?  Who could have done this?”


         Mary wanted to tell Lucie it was probably Heidi’s fault, but she knew the blond timid girl was probably too upset to hear that right now.  “You win some, you lose some, I guess,” she said with a shrug.


“But you can’t go!  We were just getting to know each other!  You’ve helped get through today when I was so nervous.”


“Now Lucie, if really wanna show me you’ll miss me, promise you’ll be strong for me.  You don’t need me to get through this.  “Melissa’s right, make more friends, be relaxed, kiss a guy, whatever.  Just tell me you’ll be okay.”


Lucie nodded through her tears.  “Okay,” she said quietly.


And with that, the girls gave each other a hug, Mary collected her luggage and left the mansion, twenty-three contestants, and a chance at a million dollars behind.


(Exit Video 1)


Mary:  Warren told me we all have to give a little exit statement when we’re eliminated.  Since I was first, I don’t really have much to say, except that I’m pulling for my girl Lucie to win.  As for Heidi, she can just fall into the fountain for all I care.


(End of Video)