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When they returned to camp, the fire was out but the coal was still burning white, so it wasn't a problem recreating the flames. Twila and Katie took the boiling pot from Tom and ran to find the way to the well once more. They returned twenty minutes later, panting but holding a pot full of dirty water. When it was boiled and passed carefully from survivor to survivor, it was a group consensus: drinking hot, tasteless water never felt better.
Gradually, people went their own way, leaving only Ian and Tom by the fire.
"Remember yesterday?" Tom asked. He looked at Ian closely.
"Of course I remember yesterday, it was only the day before."
"No, I mean, yesterday when I left you and Katie and went to sit under the tree."
"Yeah, I thought it was a little weird."
Ian didn't want to bring this up, he didn't want to act like he was married to Tom, but it did bug him a lot.
"Well, we talked about how the big players need to take care of one another. How we should get rid of the weakest, so that they don't seize control."
"Yeah, I figured that much. You and me together is for sure considered dangerous, we need to stick with the people most likely to be considered dangerous as well. So who did you have in mind for the first vote?"
"The thing is…" Tom paused. He was trying to think of the right words. Ian looked at him and understood.
"You want Katie out."
"Well, think about it!" Tom was already on the defense. "We're already the pair most likely to be targeted; you want us to be a trio? That's like begging to get voted out! It makes sense, Ian. It'll show the rest of the alliance our good intentions. It just makes sense."
"I know it does", Ian said quietly, "but I can't, not right now. You know I can't do that to Katie."
Tom looked at Ian, at the pathetic look on his face, and knew that he wasn't going to be convinced.
"Fine. But you do realize we'll have to get rid of her at some point. That this is a game in which you either vote people out or get voted out."
"Yes, and I'm ready for it, just - not right now. It's too early, I can't."
"Then I think Twila would be the second choice. Eliza the loose cannon won't have a problem with getting rid of her nemesis, and besides, she's not the most likable in the bunch. She probably didn't start enough relationships with people for them to want her to stay."
Ian was relieved, in an anxious sort of way. "Twila's a good idea. She's dangerous when it comes to changing the tides; she's a good one to dispose of early. But do we have a nine to do so?"
"Yes. We have a nine. I just hope that we'll have a nine when it counts."

Time until tribal council went short. Tom informed the rest of his alliance of the plan to oust Twila, and it was pretty much received well, but he had to wonder - if they were planning to get rid of him without telling it to his face, wouldn't they behave the same?

Twila wasn't acting like a target. She was in the water with Dreamz, laughing at what he had to say. She liked the fact that she didn't start off at a female-only tribe, and she liked the fact that her chances in the game looked even better that way. But was it all too easy? Was getting rid of Tom too good to be true? Too obvious?
"…I mean, at least when I lived in the streets there was garbage to be eaten and plastic bags to crawl into in a bad weather, but here it's like homelessness for the poor! It's like homelessness-less or something."
"You're lucky you're talking to me about poor, if you said that word to the others they wouldn't even know what it means. I'm still paying debts with my cash prize, and I ain't even close to being done…"
"I hear you, same here."
He looked at her, and his heart did a back-flip. He wasn't used to feeling guilty about voting someone off, especially this early in the game. They had so many similarities - both of them from a tough background, both of them ending up losing to players who were full of shit, both of them doing everything in their power to get to the end, no matter how many promises they broke on the way, both of them so close to winning the money they actually need, but then falling short - it almost felt like, by voting her out, he was voting for himself.
"It's still Tom, right?" Twila asked as though it was unnecessary to ask, "It's still Tom that's going tonight, everybody's going through with it, right?"
"That's what I know", Dreamz responded quickly. Maybe too quickly, he realized.
"You promise that's what's going on?" Twila asked almost jokingly. She didn't know how lucky she was to use the word 'promise' in her sentence. In that moment, Dreamz decided: Twila didn't know it, but she was going to be saved.

Tribal council took place on a nearby island, on top of a cliff overlooking the sea, and the only way to reach it was to climb a rope ladder. Cindy was so sick of ropes by the end of her climb that it took her a minute to get over her frustration and notice the view of the ocean from which the moon was coming out at the moment: it was definitely worth it. Then she turned around to look at the actual tribal council, and her mouth dropped open.
It was a mess, but a spectacular one. Elements from all tribal-council sets from the last six seasons were incorporated into it: on one side, a sunken ship's deck; on the other, an airplane's wreck; on top, a Fijian cabin's roof; all around them, stones bricks who looked like they were taken from a Mayan temple; and red candles inside skulls scattered as part of the complete havoc.
"Behind each of you is a torch, go ahead and grab it, and approach the flame." Jeff said it almost automatically; he was so used to it. The part about fire representing life was actually painful for him to say: he felt like jumping into the fire and ending his life every time the words came out of his mouth. That'll show them.

"So", he said as he looked at the sixteen all-stars finding a seat, and his smile at the moment was genuine. "Here we are. Me hosting another All-stars. Who would have thought.
"Rafe, how does it feel to be back?"
Rafe's grin was taking half his face. "Jeff, it's the best feeling in the world. I was such a huge fan of this game even before I played it the first time, and I didn't even dare to dream of being asked to participate in an all-star season. I'm still waiting for someone to wake me up."
"Who are you most excited to see here?"
"Well, Eliza and I are pretty much alike in terms of being students of the game, and our age as well, so it'll be interesting to see how both of us will do. And I cheered for Cirie out-loud during her season - I'm still finding it hard to believe she's sitting next to me right now. It just feels like I'm locked in a candy store."
Cirie giggled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Cirie, how was it for you to return?" Jeff asked.
"To be honest with you, Jeff, I forgot how hard it is! I got sick right at the start, and then to be abandoned with no food, no water and no shelter - What were you trying to do to us, Jeff?"
"Yeah, let's talk about that for a bit. Terry, do you feel it is fair to let you guys literally fight for your lives?"
"It is survivor, so everything goes. It's only appropriate that the best of the best really have to survive in order to win this game. It's also a wake-up call to those of us who thought that because they're all-stars, they'll have it easy. It certainly will help keep some egos in check."
Cirie looked at Terry disbelievingly. Him? Telling other people to keep their egos in check?!
"Cindy", Jeff turned to face her, "what's your input?"
"I love it, I absolutely love it." She was radiating as she answered Jeff's question. "I don't see what there is to complain about. Galapagos's just a beautiful place, with beautiful animals and vegetation, and I honestly feel lucky just being able to be in this end of the world, let alone as part of an all-star cast. It's so surreal, I can't even process it."
"So", concluded Jeff, "we have people who don't understand why we're torturing them, and on the other side, people who feel they're the luckiest in the world for just being here. Where do you fall in, Shane?"
"I think it's bull-crap to be excited about the surroundings, Jeff. Get an airplane ticket if you want to see the world, this is a whole other game we're playing. But obviously it's better for me- while people admire the shells on the beach, I'll be able to vote them off without them even realizing- I can't believe I'm saying it about an all-star season, but people need to start realizing why they're here instead of being star-struck by the other players or the surroundings. It's just ridiculous."
Shane was pretty proud of himself. If people didn't hate him until now, they are sure starting to now.
"Let's talk about the immunity challenge…"
As Jeff was asking meaningless questions about who fell to the water when, Eliza was deep in thought about what Rafe was saying earlier - if she was a student of the game, then why on earth was she allying herself with people she can't beat at the end, with people who'll take her out the minute she stops being beneficial to them? It was so tempting to take out Twila at last, to get revenge after all this time, and that's why she initially said 'yes', but at what price? She thought about her discussion with Dreamz that took place right before tribal council. They needed to do what's best for them, not for their alliance. She could turn it all around right now, at tribal council. After all, her first tribal council in Vanuatu, she did just that. She thought about the people watching her at home in a few months, screaming at their TVs for her to make the right decision. But what was it?
Eliza was caught off-guard when Jeff addressed her. "So, Eliza, what are you basing your vote on tonight?"
That's not very nice of you to ask me that, Jeff, she thought to herself, but her answer was different: "I'm voting tonight based on what I feel is right for me. This is a selfish vote, Jeff. This is a vote for Eliza and Eliza only."
"Katie, do you think it's a smart way to vote?"
"Of course - that's the only way to vote! I'm honestly surprised that not everyone is voting that way! Even if you're voting as a block, it should be because it benefits you, not because it's a group consensus. 'Survivor' is a selfish game, basically, no matter how you put it. Tonight I'm in luck, because my best interest is also the others' best interest. I just hope they see it."
Behind Katie, Twila nodded. Jeff, of course, didn't miss it.
"Twila, you nodded."
"Yes, Jeff. I think it's obvious who should be going tonight, there's no room for mistakes. Each and every person here should think how to save themselves in this game, and voting this person out tonight is the best way. It's clear as crystal, this is."
"Well, on this note," Jeff announced, "it is time to vote. No immunity tonight-" Tom shifted in his seat "-so everybody's fair-game. Yau-Man, you're up."

Chapter two - Impressions and expressions

Days 4-6

That morning, each person's expression reflected what information they've been exposed to.

Rafe, Tom, Ami, Cirie, Yau-Man, Terry, Eliza, Ian and Dreamz wore a calm, satisfied expression.

Jonathan, Courtney, Julie, Shane, Cindy and Katie, however, wore a confused, defeated expression, the kind of expression someone who has a lot to learn might wear.

Twila would've probably been the first one to be up that day, but as she was no longer there, it was Cindy who got up first. The fire was, of course, out, but all it took was a few blows and the help of some twigs for Cindy to get it started again. She then took a trip to the well, the location of which Katie showed her the day before, while they were talking about Tom being the easiest first boot. How terribly wrong they were. And what did go wrong, now that she came to think about it? Why did eight people besides Tom decided collectively to act so stupid, to let the biggest immunity threat slide by, to minimize their chances of winning so dramatically? She got to the well and lowered down the tied-up bucket, filling it with dirty water. Surely there was a missing piece of the puzzle, some crucial fact she didn't know about and that would make sense of it all. What was going on and why wasn't she a part of it? Now that she thought about it, the first day of the game, Tom did say something to everybody on the beach, while Twila wasn't there, and Cindy was dumb enough to follow some silly bird instead of paying attention to what was really important. But that wasn't about to happen again.

And what was it that they talked about that day? She had a feeling it might have something to do with Tom deserving to stay over Twila. Deserving. She hated that word. It reminded her of Gary talking to Stephanie, Danni and Judd in that reward trip, about how she and Lydia didn't deserve to stay in the game over them. It reminded her of the day she watched her boot episode on television. How Rafe talked behind her back, criticizing her decision regarding the car, proclaiming that she should've given it up and that he couldn't believe she didn't, because that was the 'right thing to do'.

It all reeked of self-righteousness, of Rafe feeling he's better than she is, more deserving. She suddenly had the urge to confront her fellow Guatemala contestant, to see where he was standing. They had been really close before the car fiasco two years ago, and then... something went off. She felt like it was the right time to check into that. Plus, he might be able to give her the details about what went on last night. After all, he was in the thick of things all during their season.

She finally reached camp and placed the pot full of water on the still-alive fire, which was reflecting in her determined eyes. She thought she needed to lay low in the first few days of the game, but obviously, it was time to fight for her life if she wanted to succeed. It was time to focus on what's really important, which was winning. She needed to put environment-loving, people-trusting Cindy aside and maybe start thinking like other people think, maybe start using other people's terms - like 'deserving'. Maybe she needed to start believing she deserves it.

One by one, the rest of the tribe woke up under that big tree in the middle of camp. It didn't take them long to remember what happened at the last tribal council - for some of them, it meant things are going their way, and for others, it meant obstacles are coming their way. But for all of them, it meant the season was on. Jonathan talked to everybody like nothing happened. People did lie to his face about Tom being the one going home, but so what? Didn't he himself changed his initial plan several times during Cook-Islands? He didn't feel like the game was over for him. On the contrary; he felt like it just became far more interesting.

It got even more interesting as people started disappearing: It reminded Jonathan of some cheesy thriller, in which all the victims say "I'll be right back" just before they're axed. It began with Yau-Man saying he wanted to see if there was something to eat on that island, and walking away into the distance. It continued with Ami and Eliza excusing themselves to go to the "ladies room". One by one, people left camp until Jonathan, Cindy, Shane, Julie, Courtney and Katie were the only ones left.

At first, no one at camp made anything of it at all. But when none of the others returned half an hour later, Katie, leaned against the big tree's trunk, counted out-loud. "So… Tom, Ian", she raised a finger for every name she mentioned, "Rafe, Cirie, Yau-man, Eliza, Ami, Terri, Dreamz. Gee, that's nine right there! If I didn't know better, I would've guessed that these were the nine responsible for Twila leaving the other night!"

The six of them smiled, the kind of smile you might wear when you realize that not only you're in the minority, but the majority is having a secret meeting right now, planning just the right way to vote you off.

"So that's the alliance to beat, I guess", said Jonathan. "It wouldn't be that difficult, nine huge personalities, there's bound to be some internal conflict between them before long."

"This is so random, though!" Courtney said. "We shouldn't be on the outs, there's no reason for that to happen! It's just so random; we didn't even get a chance to play!"

"Don't count us out yet, Courtney", said Julie. She was quiet up until now, thinking it all through. "And I don't think it's random, I think there's a pattern going on - notice how all the big names are in that alliance - people like Yau-Man and Terry and Cirie. If Tom was gone after that last tribal council, who do you think would've gone after him? Probably one of those that aren't here right now. It's only natural for them to band together."

"As it is for us", Cindy said quietly. They all looked at her. "Well, it does make sense. We'll be picked off one by one, by the looks of it, if we don't do some'ing about it. But if we decided to stick together, and bring at least two other people to our side…"

Shane scoffed. "You make it sound easy, but how exactly will we achieve it? Do you think people are just gonna bail on an alliance they joined yesterday?"

"I don't know", admitted Cindy, "but let's give it a shot. It's better than waiting to be ousted, ain't it?"

"Of course it is", chimed in Courtney. "With a little faith, anything is possible". Shane scoffed again.

"Oh yeah? Your new pal, Jesus, will just come upon us from the heavens and work everything out in our favor? Aren't you paying attention? All the survivor-saints are on the other side of the fence! Jesus wants them to win, not you!"

"Shane, enough!" intervened Jonathan. He couldn't believe his eyes; His new alliance had been formed and then nearly crumbled in about 40 seconds. "If we do form this pact, we need to make sure all six of us are on the same page. Personally, I don't think we really have a choice - it's this or nothing."

They all looked at one another. None of them planned this kind of alliance going into all-stars - They imagined themselves surrounded by fan-favorites and strategic masterminds, not leftovers. But, considering the place they found themselves in, this was their best chance, better than to be a tenth wheel, at best. Jonathan stretched his hand forward, and Katie put hers on his, and then Cindy, and Courtney, and Julie, and finally Shane. It wasn't ideal, but it'll do, for now.

Yau-Man was well aware of the strangeness of the situation. But he was also aware that the situation invited the strangeness. This never happened before, a single tribe made of sixteen contestants, and thus, an alliance of nine was not a necessity up until now. But it was the best move for most of them, as long as they stuck together. This was the tricky part - sticking together. If they manage that, it was only a matter of placing yourself at the middle of that alliance, so that when nine remained, you'd be a part of the ruling five; and when five remained, you'd be one of the core three. And when three remained, the other two contestants would prefer to take you to the final two rather than each other.

But there was still time until that part of the game becomes relevant - right now it was important to make sure the alliance of nine will become the final nine. And in order to achieve that, all of them needed to feel comfortable enough in the alliance, like they were making as much impact as the rest, like they were an integral part. And in order to achieve that, meetings like the ones held a few minutes ago in the woods were necessary, even-though it was very dangerous to draw the lines so clearly, because without meetings like this, people were bound to question the others' loyalties, people were bound to jump ship.

So one by one they left camp that morning, and almost an hour later, one by one they returned as though nothing had happened. Yau-Man was the last one to return, informing his tribemates that he did not find any edible fruit out there, but he did bring back a few edible leaves to experiment with. The tribe-members were each given a handful of leaves in different colors and shapes. Ian felt like a fattened calf - but as he weighted about five pounds four days ago and hasn't eaten since, he trusted Yau-Man and shoved the leaves down his throat, hoping for the best.

"Wow, Yau", he said, "these are….those leaves are really…"

"Horrible", Shane summed up what everybody was feeling. "Even Courtney's poisoned apples probably taste better, and are less poisonous."

"I admit it is not a delicacy", said Yau-Man a little apologetically, "but in my mind it is better than starving. It is nutritious enough to keep us going a bit more, although we need some substance in our food for the long-haul."

"Well", said Julie, remembering the tree-mail Ian and Tom came back with (as it was their excuse for leaving), which said that the next reward challenge will take place later that day, "there's that bag of potatoes Jeff offered us in that last challenge. If it comes up in the reward challenge as well, how about we make a pact saying whoever wins that challenge, no matter who it is, gives up his reward, no matter what it is, so that all of us can get those potatoes? If that's even an option, that is."

"Sounds fair", Tom said and everyone nodded. Julie felt it was the right thing to do - the people playing the game this time weren't socially-challenged enough to make the mistake of keeping the reward to themselves, so that hopefully, in a few hours they'll be walking back to camp with food, actual food, in their hands. Best case scenario? For someone from the minority alliance to win that challenge. It made Tom look heroic last time, there's no reason it shouldn't work once again. And then it would be much easier to pull a few people in. It wasn't the best plan in the world, but it'll do, for now. With those thoughts in mind, her leaves tasted a little better.

The way back to camp was very awkward. It was already late afternoon, and the sun painted everything pink: The big tree that was their only shelter for now, stuck in the middle of their beach like a sore thumb; A short distance away from it, the dying fire, about to be relit by Terry; and at the end of the row of contestants returning from the challenge, Shane, looking smug and holding three boxes of food and drinks. The atmosphere was very tense even without words. The hunger was beginning to take its toll on them all, as they settled around the fire, exhausted from their short walk. It was clear they couldn't survive like that much longer.

Courtney looked at Shane and didn't even know how to feel about him: She clearly had a soft spot for him in her heart, and yet, he was just a despicable, obnoxious, juvenile person. He has gone so far in the wrong lane, even the lord will have a hard time helping him. And yet, there was some hidden good in him, she was sure of it. If only he would her in, opened up to her…

Yau-Man had disappeared the moment they arrived at camp, and returned fifteen minutes later with, yet again, an assortment of disgusting looking leaves and roots. They tried to cook them a bit in the pot, but at dinner time, it was tasteless as ever.

"At least we'll appreciate food when we get it", Ami said sweetly.

"If we get it", Jonathan pointed out. "Jeff didn't look too concerned with the fact that we're starving to death."

Jeff didn't look too concerned with me, Either, Julie thought. I swear, if he had taken part in that poker-face challenge, he would have such an easy win it would be ridiculous… She started to want her plan to fall apart just a little - just a tiny nod from him would be enough, or a wink…

No, it was best this way. The faster people forget about her and her relationship with the host, the better. And since it was Eliza that knew about the alleged break-up, it was sure to spread around like wildfire, if it hasn't already. It was best this way in the long run. She repeated it once more to herself - it's best this way.

Eliza, though, did not have much time to think about the relationship status of Julie and Jeff. She was occupied with thoughts on the conversation she had with Dreamz right before tribal council last night.

"We gotta save Twila", he said to her then.

"Of all people, you choose to approach Twila's nemesis? Dreamz, did you think this through?" was her response.

"Did you? Y'know we're at the bottom of this alliance, that we're just pawns used for numbers -"

"Of course we are, but we both agreed to it knowing that", she said to him. "Both of us are known for our flip-flop abilities, Dreamz, it's not a wise decision to use them on our very first tribal council. Be reasonable."

Dreamz caved in, and this was the end of their conversation. But Eliza wasn't sure of the truthfulness of her own words. It was a risky move to betray their alliance the first chance they got, but now they're 8^th and 9^th in the biggest alliance in survivor history, with no influence in it whatsoever. She didn't want to be voted out ninth, she wanted to win. She wanted to earn her win, not just be a number.

It seemed that Shane was waiting for the right moment to arrive. Just when people were giving up on their leaves, he opened up his dinner. He spread the contents of the first carton box on the laps of Ian, who was sitting next to him, like it was the normal thing to do. First came a thermos of tea, then a sealed bowl full of steaming onion soup, then the bread to go with the soup, and finally a chocolate pudding for dessert. People didn't even realize they were staring; the smell of the soup was too much.

"Bon… Bon appetite", said Tom, sounding miserable.

"Why, thank you", smiled Shane, and began eating. It was a very uncomfortable moment - or rather, half an hour. Shane made the best of every slice of bread, of every spoon of soup, and he made a point of doing it in front of fourteen starving people. If he were completely honest with himself, he would have admitted it didn't feel right. But it was all a part of his plan to be taken far over other more likable people, especially now that he was in the minority group, and it seemed to be working tremendously well.

"Hey Courtney", he barely managed to address her with his mouth so full, "As the provider of this tribe, why do they all seem so hungry? Can it be that you're slacking on your job?"

Courtney had had enough - she got up and left towards the seashore. She tried to see the good in him, she really did, but all she could see was Satan performing his evil deeds through Shane. He needed to see the light just like she did not long ago; he needed to understand there's a better life for him out there.

A few minutes later, she was joined by Julie, who had had enough of Shane as well, but also wanted to check why Courtney looked so upset.

"Are you OK? Is Shane getting to you?"

"He's just…" Courtney tried to explain, "A lost soul."

Julie held back a laugh. "To say the least", she said. "And you want to give him some… guidance?"

"If he would only let me! But he just relishes being the 'bad boy', I can't understand that…"

A thought occurred to Julie - a strange one. "Courtney - could it be that Shane has… feelings for you?"

"What? He hates me! I guess that's a feeling…"

"He doesn't hate you; if he did he would just stay away from you, but he makes a point of always attaching himself to you - on your season, didn't he choose you to be on the same tribe with him, didn't he make an alliance with you right after? And a few days ago, didn't he follow you to the beach? Doesn't he always bother you just to get a reaction? Courtney, if I'm not mistaken, he's kind of interested in you, in an unusual sort of way."

Courtney stared at Julie for a second with a disbelieving look. Shane said numerous times how he wanted her dead, how he couldn't stand to even look at her pathetic face, how he couldn't wait to get away from her. And yet he didn't. Not now. Not during their season a year and a half ago. And not in between, when, strangely enough, they kept ending up in the same parties and events. Was he just a little boy seeking her attention? Was she too rough on him all this time?

Julie smiled to herself. The alliance of six was already close to becoming a lost battle, as they didn't have the numbers; she didn't need Courtney avoiding Shane on top of that. Now that Courtney's perspective has changed a bit, the way was clear for more important things. And besides, they were perfect for each other. If it actually came to fruition, she thought bitterly as she was making her way back to camp, at least one couple would get a chance to be together this season.

Their fourth night was pretty much like the past three nights, with the same amounts of food and shelter - zero, that is. At least we're drinking, thought Ami to herself, at least we are not dehydrated, that's something. But it didn't feel like something as the sand on which they were lying touched their dry mouths.

Katie and Jonathan decided to go for a walk as they weren't able to get any sleep. The almost-round moon was completely visible as this was a cloudless night, as well as sleepless.

"Curios, huh?", Jonathan wondered out-loud. "How we ended up in an alliance with the insane person, his female sidekick, the host's girlfriend, and the person who gave up her winning chances for a car. And it's not even the ruling alliance!"

Katie nodded as though she was just processing how weird their situation was. "Think about the people back at home watching us in a few months. Think about how that's gonna look to them…they're gonna root against us, for sure."

"They're gonna hate us! Absolutely loath us! Even more than they did before!"

"You know", Katie said, "I actually liked you during your season, I thought you were entertaining."

"Well, no offense, but I hated you during your season. You seem like a nice person now, but I thought you were vile back then."

"Fair enough. It's not like you were the only one."

"It's O.K; I know what it feels like to be despised. You know, maybe it's got something to do with being in the majority - nobody feels sympathy towards the majority. Maybe now that we're fighting for our lives, we'll be more appreciated."

"Yeah, for like the two seconds that we're here until they vote us out."

"It is unfortunate."

"It sucks."

They continued to move in the darkness. It wasn't televised darkness, with shades of green - it was complete and total darkness, besides what the moon illuminated. Katie literally felt like she was in the dark - she knew she couldn't rely on Tom this time. After all, she was about to vote him off the other night. But why was Ian so secretive with her? She would have accepted it if he told her last night what he was about to do.

"I think we need to step up our game", Katie said finally. "Tomorrow I'll talk to Ian, see if I can get anything out of him. Julie should talk to Eliza and Ami, Cindy to Rafe, and Shane and Courtney to Cirie and Terry. Use all the connections we have. Our goal is to bring in two other people, at least."

"I agree, there's really nothing else we could do. I think we have a chance- nobody wants to be the ninth person in the nine-person alliance. You'll just have to promise Ian a better place in our group. That's what the others need to do as well. Even if that promise won't be realized."

"I'm not sure I'm interested in doing that", Katie protested. "Jonathan, I know you're used to betraying your alliance members left and right, but I've had a not-so-enjoyable experience with alienating people along the way, and I think it would've been the same case with you, had you reached the final two. No offense", she added, realizing she was reopening some of Jonathan's old wounds.

"So what do you suggest? That we tell Ian and the others, 'come to our side, you'll end up worse than you were, but at least you'll switch alliances, that makes a great impression'?"

"No", Katie said. "I suggest we sniff around, find out who the two weakest links are, and offer them 7^th and 8^th places instead of 8^th and 9^th, and the benefits of playing against competitors like you and me instead of competitors like Tom and Terry."

"Wow, it sounds like an attractive offer when you put it like that."

"Well, Jonathan, could I interest you with an offer you can't refuse?" asked Katie with a wink.

"Katie", Jonathan laughed, "that's kinda disturbing, as I'm married and you're messed-up."

"I'm sorry, won't happen again."

"Right now we should concentrate on finding away to break this frigging alliance. We need to find its weakness…."

"Well, Jonathan, you can find my weakness any time you -"

"Katie."

"Yeah, I'll stop that."

Shane got up the next morning and realized he had breakfast waiting for him. He got to his feet, yawned loudly and went to open the second box. Inside it were boiled eggs, coffee, fruits and cheese, along with a loaf of bread just like yesterday. This was going to be a good day for him.

The moment that box was opened, people started waking up, intrigued by the smell. The moment they discovered the source of that smell was a devastating moment.

"I'm really sorry I can't share this with you guys", murmured Shane with a mouth full of grapes. It was hard to believe him.

Cirie felt it wasn't completely bad that Shane was making such a big scene, however, as it served as a great excuse for people to leave the camp and head to their second meeting as an alliance. This one was held behind a huge rock, a great hiding place about half a mile from camp. She was the one looking over the rock to see if anyone was coming, while the others settled down and started planning their next move.

"It's still Cindy, right?" asked Rafe.

This was the conclusion of their previous meeting - Cindy had to go. The reasoning behind it was that if something unexpected happened and the alliance crumbled, they would much rather face the likes of Katie and Shane rather than Cindy or Julie, who would be dangerous in this situation as they were liked by almost everyone. Cindy had the edge as she would fair better at physical challenges.

"I'm a little nervous with Shane, to tell you the truth", Tom said.

"Why?" asked Ian. "It's perfect, the way he's been acting! Eating in front of everybody, he's digging his own grave!"

"He does it with so much glee, though", said Cirie, "almost too much glee. It's like he wants us to think everybody hates him, just so we wouldn't worry about him at all."

Tom nodded. "And did you see how well he did on that challenge yesterday? I'm beginning to think he's such a good actor, he does everything on purpose. It's all an act with him."

"Last time he had that nicotine withdrawal", added Terry, "so he wasn't able to control his actions as much. But this time we should definitely keep an eye on him. "

"Yes, he's playing the game hard", agreed Yau-Man. "He approached me for a final two deal on the second day, but I don't think his intentions were to stay true to it."

"He came to you too?" asked Dreamz, bewildered. "He took me to the side yesterday, said we could tear through this game together! Shook him off right away", he added, when realizing it was not a good idea to admit to eight other people that he said yes to Shane's offer.

Yau Man laughed. "Did Shane offer a final-two deal to anyone else?"

He didn't expect a response, but nonetheless, seven other hands slowly found their way into the air.

Back at camp, Jonathan presented Katie's plan to the other four, stopping only to allow Shane to burp once or twice. It was agreed that the moment the alliance of nine returned to camp, people were going to be pulled aside and the questioning and persuading would begin.

"It's time for the leftovers to start playing the game!" Katie summed it up.

"Leftovers…" said Julie. "I kinda like that name."

And their alliance was christened.

The sun was stuck in the middle of the sky when Ami and Eliza were pulled aside by Julie, Ian by Katie, Cirie by Shane, Terry by Courtney and Rafe by Cindy. Two out of six was the leftovers' goal.

"Cirie, think!" Shane shouted at her. "Once you're dwindled down to nine, do you really want to compete against Tom? Against Yau Man?! Come with us and be surrounded by nobodies! The way's already paved for you!"

"For me to get voted out by you six the moment you can! No thanks, Shane, really."

"Fair enough", Shane said, and changed his antics in an instant: "So... you nine going strong? With meetings and all?"

"I'm really not about to talk about it, Shane. You understand."

"Yeah, sure, but I mean - nine of you making the decisions, that's gotta be rough, I'm sure some people are feeling left out-"

"Not gonna happen, Shane."

"Fine, fine."

Meanwhile, Katie and Ian took a walk on the beach. This brought back old memories.

"You know", said Ian, "I'm not gonna get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness this time."

"I didn't ask you to", Katie said.

"I don't feel bad about having an alliance. That's just the game."

"I know."

"And I'm sorry you're not in it, but decisions had to be made, and if everybody had brought all the people from their season, we would've had an alliance of sixteen-"

"I realize that."

"And we said it, Katie, we said even before the game began, we said we wouldn't work together, that it wouldn't benefit either of us, that it would just be a burden-"

"I remember. That's OK, Ian, don't worry about it."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah. I just wish you told me before the vote, that you didn't lie to my face…"

"I didn't lie to your face, I told you I'd vote for Tom before I got the in to the alliance."

"Well, it came off pretty sneaky."

"I'm sorry, that wasn't the intention."

They walked some more.

"And I want you to know", Ian added, although he shouldn't have, although it didn't help him in any way, "the fact that we're not in an alliance together doesn't mean I don't have your back. Because I do. I'll fight every time for someone else to get the boot over you. I want you to do well."

"That's good to know", Katie said, and it was. It was very good to know.

At the same time, whispering in camp while pretending to tend the fire, Courtney and Terry were deep in conversation.

"Terry, think how great it would be! Nobody will see it coming, and you wouldn't have to be stuck in an alliance with Tom, who is an immunity whore as big as you are…"

"I'm not afraid of Tom", Said Terry defensively. "I mean, he and I get along great. He's not a threat to me."

"Not yet, but do you really want to reach the point when the two of you have to square off?"

"That's not the point", Terry avoided the question. "The final answer's no, Courtney. I'm finally in the right alliance, I'm not about to give it up so fast. You probably understand."

"I guess I do."

"And besides… can I say something without hurting your feelings?"

"Depends on what it is", said Courtney, straightening up.

"I feel like the people in my alliance - with a few exceptions - all deserve to go far. I mean, we're talking about people who played the game hard, who did really well. And no offence, Courtney, but I don't really think of you as an all-star. And the same goes for the people you're aligned with. Don't you want to see a true all-star winning this all thing?"

Courtney truly was lost for words.

Down in the ocean, Julie worked hard on the other two Vanuatu girls, but without much luck.

"You know we love you, sweetie", said Ami, "it really is nothing against you. It's just the way it went."

"I know, and I don't take it personally at all. You two play the game as hard as you can, and I'll play as well. But can you answer me just one question?"

They both nodded.

"Do you feel secure with your alliance? Do you feel like it could take you far?"

They both said "yes", but Eliza's was said with evident uncertainty. This was all Julie really needed.

Cindy asked Rafe to come with her and check for tree-mail, and so they both made their way quietly up the hill.

This was the opportunity Cindy was waiting for since the day before, and yet, there was such awkwardness in the air, she could hardly find the words. It was clear Rafe didn't really want to be in her company.

"Is everything OK, Rafe?" she finally broke the silence.

"Everything's great", he answered. "You know, except for not eating, not sleeping, drinking disgusting hot water…"

"But except for that, everything's fine?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"You seem a little off when you're around me."

Rafe sighed.

Cindy continued her questioning. "Does it have anything to do with what happened two years ago? With me not giving away the cars? Can it be that it's still bothering you?"

"Of course not", said Rafe. "It was your decision, who am I to question it. I would've done it differently, but that's just me."

"I still think I made the right choice, in case you're wondering. There are no guarantees in this game, you know that, and I won it fair and square, I didn't owe you guys anything…"

"If you're bringing this up, there are some guarantees in this game, and you getting a car even if you're giving away four others is one of them, as there were five cars standing there, after all. It's simple math."

"You try solving math problems when faced with such a dilemma-"

"But, see, for me it wouldn't have been a dilemma. For me there was only one option- to give away the cars. I guess we're just different."

"I didn't feel so different from you in Guatemala. I felt we were close back then."

"So did I."

Cindy felt pissed off at this point. She felt belittled by Rafe and his holier-than-thou attitude. At that time, her competitive nature wouldn't let her give up the car she had earned and needed desperately. And how does Rafe know how he would've acted in this situation? He had never faced it before!

But in spite of all this, she did feel a little remorse about making that influential decision two years ago. Maybe it would've been different. Maybe she would've been brought back to all-stars as a winner alongside Tom. Maybe she and Rafe would've been good friends like she once thought they would end up being…

"It did hurt, you know", she said quietly.

"What?" Rafe asked.

"To hear you talk about me like that on my boot episode. I didn't know you felt like that until I saw it. You acted all nice to me back there, I had no idea."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be, that's how you felt at the time. That's how you still feel."

They were getting nearer to the hilltop now.

"I do appreciate you as a player", Cindy said. "I wish you all the best in the game. You seem like you're in a good position right now to win it all, with that nine-person alliance you got there. If I'm voted out soon, I hope you'll win it, I really do. Bring some pride to our season."

Rafe smiled at her. It was weird hearing that, knowing that she's probably the one to go tomorrow night.

"It's hard to know how it'll turn out", he said. "You never know, you know?"

"I know", Cindy laughed. "But still, it must feel good, knowing you're nine strong." She hoped she wasn't too obvious in trying to milk information out of Rafe.

"Well, there's always that doubt", Rafe said. "Nine is a large number of people to have in one alliance. And with people like Dreamz, you never know what's gonna happen, I'm not sure he really feels a part of us as it is -"

Rafe stopped in his tracks. He has said too much. He let his pity for Cindy get the better of him. But it wasn't the end of the world. In two days, Cindy probably wouldn't be there anymore, and besides, what could she possibly do with the information? The minority was three people short; they'd be powerless even with Dreamz on their side. And anyway, Dreamz wouldn't be stupid enough to betray his alliance six days into the game.

They finally reached the tree-mail, which was sealed by a tortoise's armor.

"This is so exciting", said Rafe, pretending there wasn't any tension between the two of them. "You want to open it?"

"No", said Cindy, "go ahead, dive right in."

When they returned to camp, it was already dawn. Some of them were still wet, most of them still shocked, and all of them very very tired. Processing what had just happened, and adjusting their strategy accordingly, could wait until tomorrow. Or, more accurately, until later today. With no shelter to return to, they all collapsed under their beloved tree and instantly fell asleep.

It was early afternoon when Cindy, once again, was the first one up. Her initial thought when awake was, I've made the right decision. That was also her third thought, when in-between her second thought was, I've made the wrong decision.

It was one of the six leftovers who was going that night anyway, so keeping immunity wouldn't have helped her in the long run. And the potatoes that she earned her tribe weren't going to do her any harm, either. I've made the right decision, she repeated, but in the end it didn't matter - she had already done it.

Julie joined her not long after. They decided to walk to the well together, to get some water for boiling potatoes - their first real meal in six days. "Cindy, you've done great in that challenge. You should be proud of yourself", she said.

"I am", admitted Cindy, "but we're still in the same situation as before - which is two people short. Did you make any progress, talking to Eliza and Ami yesterday?"

"I think so", said Julie with caution. "And did you make any progress with Rafe?"

"I think so", said Cindy with even more caution, "But it came from a different direction than I expected."

"Well", Julie thought out-loud, "I think we should have a meeting when we come back to camp, and find out if the others made any progress as well."

"Good idea. It'll also give the other nine a chance to meet without making lame excuses."

When they returned to camp with a full pot, everyone was already awake. Katie walked up to the two women the moment she saw them, and whispered that she thinks the six of them should have a meeting.

"I say we boil the potatoes at the same time", she suggested. "It'll give us a good alibi."

Julie and Cindy agreed, and started working on the fire, while Katie went to fetch Courtney, Shane and Jonathan. They returned, Shane and Courtney strangely keeping their distance, a moment later. It was time for everyone to give their updates.

"Well", started Courtney, "Terry wasn't really sharing his secrets, but I really got the feeling he feels right at home in his alliance. He feels all the people in it deserve to be there." Cindy shuddered a little. Here we go again with the 'deserving' crap.

"Ian too feels like he's found his place", Katie added. "There's no real chance of him flipping to our side. But he is a good person to be close to. I feel like he can help us along the way, if I keep him close."

Jonathan sighed. "Along the way's just not good enough, Katie, we're going down tonight if we don't do something about it."

"We just have to work with what we have", Katie said simply.

"Well, I have some good news", announced Julie, trying to light the mood. "Eliza wouldn't say it, obviously, but I'm pretty sure she's on the outs on her alliance - she didn't seem to feel that much comfortable being a part of it."

"And something Rafe said gave me reason to believe that Dreamz is kinda in the same situation", added an excited Cindy. Two is really all they needed.

"Well, that's great!" said Courtney.

"Why?" asked Shane. "Why is it great? It's not like they're gonna jump ship the moment you say 'please'. It doesn't work like that. Even a nutcase like Eliza wouldn't leave the majority alliance, especially this early.

Katie noticed two things. One, that Shane was calling Eliza a nutcase. Considering the source, she couldn't help but find it amusing. And two, Shane's tone when he said 'majority alliance' sounded craving, almost desperate. He was now eyeing the nine sitting under the tree, obviously having a little meeting of their own about who should be going home tonight. Shane's look was like that of a child realizing he's not in the right clique. Katie decided to try and bring him back to earth.

"Shane?" she said carefully. "How did your discussion with Cirie go? Were you able to milk some information out of her?"

"Huh?" It took Shane time to realize he was being talked to. "Oh, No. Nothing. Nothing at all."

"That's great", Katie tested him.

"Yeah, that's… that's great."

Cindy rolled her eyes. She looked at Courtney and was surprised to see a pained look on her face.

"You know what?" said Shane finally, actually starting to walk towards the other alliance, "I think I'm gonna check on these guys, see what's going on with them."

"Shane", said Jonathan, "we're still trying to figure out what to do in order to save our asses, sure you don't wanna…"

"No, that's fine, continue without me" he said and walked away, and it really sounded like he couldn't care less. The other five watched him as he reached the ruling alliance, all of whom stopped talking the moment he had arrived.

"What is wrong with this guy?" asked a bewildered Jonathan.

"What is not wrong with this guy?" corrected Katie.

Cindy couldn't believe her eyes. 'Is he… trying to mingle with them?"

"Looks like", said Julie, as Shane was talking to Tom and pointing right to were they were seating. "Or to be more precise, looks like he's selling us out at this very moment."

Cindy still couldn't believe it. "Do you really think he'd turn on us so bluntly, just like that? Without even trying to hide it?"

"Sounds just like him", said Courtney, who was quiet up until now.

Julie looked at her, and could tell that she was facing a victim of a broken heart.

"Shane's out for himself and only for himself", Courtney said quietly. "It shouldn't really surprise us - it was obvious from the get go, and it became even more obvious at the reward challenge. The longer we trust him as part of our alliance, the harder his inevitable betrayal is gonna hurt us. I know we're pretty low on numbers as it is -" she looked at the four people staring at her - "but considering Shane a solid alliance member is just deluding ourselves. He's not on our side - he never was. He's on his side alone."

"So what do you suggest?" Jonathan asked her.

"Well", Katie was the one to answer, "Shane was right about one thing - nobody from the other alliance is gonna flip tonight. It's too early, or too late, whichever way you want to look at it. So it's one of us six that's going tonight, no matter what. And there are five of us sitting by the fire right now. If we trust each other, and decide to stick together, there's only one option - Shane needs to be the one going tonight."

"Well", Jonathan was quick to respond, "that's nice in theory and all, but we're not the ones making the decision - they are."

The 'they' that Jonathan was talking about were being visited by an unwanted guest. Shane was coming towards them with an unexplained grin on his face. They immediately stopped discussing whether they should get rid of Julie or of Jonathan after Cindy when he arrived, and announced: "I'm interested in being the tenth in your alliance."

When all of them just stared at him, he continued: "This game's about numbers, right? It never hurts to have more numbers, just in case". His subtext was - 'I'm a great goat to have in your alliance, just in case'. He just hoped people would figure it out.

When no-one spoke, Tom decided to take the lead, once again: "I think I'm speaking for everyone, and you guys correct me if I'm wrong, but Shane - we really don't need a tenth. It's a huge alliance as it is now. But thank you for the offer, we appreciate it."

A few people nodded in agreement. "Well, I just thought you might - well…" Shane was completely baffled by the sudden failure of his plan. Weren't they seeing what a great asset he can be? Was he completely surrounded by buffoons who were considered all-stars by some unfortunate accident?

Shane decided to not even mention the talk he had with the ruling alliance when he returned to the leftovers, now adding fifteen potatoes into the boiling water.

"I say we just vote for Tom and hope for the best", he sighed, looking gloomily at them all.

"Yeah, there's really no other option", Jonathan agreed with Shane.

It took about an hour for the potatoes to be ready - what seemed like the longest hour of the castaways' lives. They started to wonder what it feels like having food inside their stomachs, but it was so long ago they couldn't for the life of them remember. When the potatoes were finally good enough to eat, none of them dared to take one and eat it. It was just too good to be true. Food. Actual food.

"Here's how they'd probably edit this scene for T.V.", speculated Katie. "A shot of the potatoes. A shot of me. Another shot of the potatoes. Then a shot of my hungry eyes. A shot of me licking my lips. Than, once again, a shot of the potatoes. A shot of the rest of you working while I devour the potatoes. Than, finally, a shot of the empty pot, followed by a shot of full me. That's some good entertainment right there, don't you think?" she asked the cameraman, who just smiled politely, taking a shot of Katie staring at the potatoes.

"This is beyond great", Terry said as the potato he was holding touched his mouth. "I forgot how awesome food can be!"

"Yeah, I can get used to that", said Dreamz. "Starving ourselves is really starting to pay off, ain't it?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves", said Ami, "are we sure we have enough potatoes to keep us going?"

"I counted", said Eliza, "And, not taking into account the fifteen we're eating right now, there are 99 potatoes left in the sack."

"That's a whole lot of potatoes", Cirie said, impressed.

"Yeah, and according to my math, each of us could eat one every three days and it'd still last 'till the end. It's not enough to keep us full, but it's enough to keep us alive."

"Alive is good", Rafe said. "I like alive. Certainly better than dead."
"For sure", agreed Eliza, taking another bite. It was kinda nice to know they weren't about to starve to death.

Chapter 3 - Comfortably Numb

Days 7-9

"So who did you vote for last night?"

The fourteen all-stars expected a challenge that day; they just didn't expect it to be so early - First-thing-in-the-morning early. Not that it mattered - it wasn't like they could get much sleep, anyway, lying on the naked ground with insects crawling all over them. Before the sun was even rising, Dreamz got a nasty sting from an ant and couldn't get back to sleep after that. He got up, yawned, and was instantly grabbed by a producer asking him annoying questions. Most of them were unimportant questions about unimportant subjects, like finally eating last night and being underwater for five minutes. But now came the questions that actually made Dreamz think - the questions about his alliance.

"My vote was for Shane, and -"

"Can you please give an answer with the question embedded in it?"

"Right, right. Last night, I voted for Shane. I was cornered by Jonathan the moment before we went to tribal, and he kinda threatened me, said there're seven people voting for Shane tonight, and that it'd be a tie if I didn't vote with them. That's a risk I wasn't willing to take, being on the block myself, so I just went with it, y'know? Don't know if I chose right, but it wasn't worth the trouble, risking myself so early. It was not worth it."

"So where do your loyalties lie right now?" The cameraman asked, and he sounded truly interested in what Dreamz had to say.

"They're with me, my loyalties lie with me, and that's it. But I did give my word, I gave it to my alliance of nine, and unlike last time, I'm playing for the jury as well, so I have to think about that stuff. It's not for second anymore, only first, you're looking at the first right here."

"Do you feel like you have a good chance of winning it all?"

"I'm trying not to become too comfy, but yeah, there's a chance, an alright one. Once we get to nine, people will want to get rid of the big ones, of Terry and Tom and whatnot, they'll just forget about me. Right now I'm labeled as the guy who can't win. That's a good place to be in a game like that."

"Who do you feel your allies are right now?"

"What, you're supposed to have allies? Why don't nobody telling me those things?" This was not exactly a joke - he really didn't have any true allies, not last time, not now. "But strangely enough, I found myself a little close to little Eliza of all people - maybe because we're both in an alliance with survivor +#+*%@ and we're feeling out, maybe because we both don't have any filters when it comes to our mouths. On the first vote, we decided together to vote with the block, and this time, I have a feeling she voted against it just like me. "

"And who else voted for Shane last night, in your opinion?"

"Beats me. Maybe Shane himself, he's such a wacko. I'm glad we got rid of him, that's why I didn't argue with Johnny boy, that lunatic had to be out. He had potential to get into people's minds, with all that craziness of him. Now the minority is made mostly of quiet people, it shouldn't be any trouble picking them out one by one."

"And what can get in the way of achieving that?"

"Only ourselves. Us nine, we gotta have self-control. We gotta be patient. To stay in our place. That's not a bad place to be, and we gotta keep it. Or else we'd be replaced."

On the way back to camp, Dreamz made a detour to pick up tree-mail, and found out that all of them had to arrive immediately to an island nearby to participate in the reward challenge.

"Ian! Wake up!" he decided to first jerk awake the one who was snoring the loudest. "Get up, man! We have to get going!"

"Hmmm?" Ian let out, and continued to snore. A funny idea came to Dreamz's head at that moment.

"Ian?" he muttered in Ian's ear, "do you have a secret alliance you wanna tell me about?"

"Yeah", Ian muttered, "but you mustn't tell anyone, you promise?"

"Hell yeah, I promise!", said Dreamz, now actually getting excited.

"It's with…" Ian began and then whispered something too quiet for Dreamz to understand.

"Didn't catch that", Dreamz said patiently, moving closer to Ian's mouth.

Ian again mumbled something incoherent. Dreamz got closer still, holding his breath. "What was that? Who do you have a secret alliance with?"

"It's with you, silly!" said Ian loudly, wide awake and pointing at his cheek for Dreamz, who was inches away from him, to kiss it. "Came to wake me up with a kiss? That's so considerate of you!"

Giggles could be heard from where Cirie was lying - apparently she had just woken up to the image of Dreamz and Ian. From that moment, people started to wake up all around: It was hard to avoid Cirie's giggles. Dreamz backed off quickly, looking at Ian in disbelief.

"You had it coming, trying to milk me for information", Ian said, smiling.

"Be sure I won't be trying to milk you for nothing anymore", Dreamz said, trying to muster up a smile himself. It was harder than expected.

At this stage everyone was wide awake, as it was hard to come up with a good sleep on the hard ground anyway. They all walked to the beach and stepped into a large canoe that was waiting for them there, with instructions ordering them to head out to the nearest island.

"Why this early?" Courtney was wondering out-loud.

"Maybe they've decided we need a shelter to sleep in, so they're just gonna give us one!" said a puffy-eyed Eliza. It was clear to everybody that she didn't get much sleep.

"Yeah, that must be it", Jonathan rolled his also-puffy eyes.

"Maybe a twist is coming up?" suggested Terry. "Maybe they're finally going to divide us into two tribes?"

Ami frowned. "Jeff said no twists, remember? He said we're one tribe 'till the end. I'm guessing he wouldn't lie about something like that."

"So what is it?" asked Rafe. "What was so urgent that they couldn't let us not sleep a little more?"

"We'll find out in about two minutes, won't we?" said a rowing Tom as they got nearer and nearer to the beach on which Jeff was waiting for them, holding two small objects.

"Welcome guys", Jeff smiled at them. "How were the few hours you've spent since I've seen you at tribal council?"

"The feeling of nearly getting voted out was more comfortable than trying to sleep tonight, to tell you the truth", answered Cindy.

"Well", said Jeff, "this challenge might change this - for some of you, at least". Ami noticed that no covered objects could be seen anywhere near Jeff - where was their reward?

"For today's challenge, you will be randomly divided into two teams once again. Your team's goal: get to a certain destination. As simple as that. How do you get to that destination? By using a compass." He now showed the tribe the objects he was holding: two small, golden compasses. "Each time, you will be given a direction. You must follow that direction until a sign will lead you to another. I must warn you now: every small digression from the route can cause a big problem. You should stick to what the little arrow in you compass has to say if you wanna be sure you're on the right way."

The two teams were selected. At first glance, it seemed to Jeff that they were completely unmatched - with both Terry and Tom on the same side - but then he realized Cirie and Katie ended up on that team as well to balance things out. The other members on that team were Rafe, Ian and Ami, while the other team had Dreamz, Courtney, Yau-Man, Cindy, Eliza, Jonathan and Julie. Jeff turned to those seven and asked: "Who should I give the compass to?"

Eliza pointed at Yau-Man at once. The others played along, and he accepted it. Eliza's reasoning behind it wasn't only because he was used to finding his way in the wilderness, as, after all, this is what his childhood must have looked like.

"And you?" Jeff asked the second team. "Who wants the compass?"

Two voices said "me" at the same time: the voices of Terry and Ami. The two looked at each other for a moment. They both volunteered because they thought no one else would take the lead, seeing that it was almost never a good idea to take the lead in a game with about sixteen leaders. But they were both wrong.

"Let her have it", Terry said with a weak smile, and the compass was given to Ami, who was still eyeing Terry somewhat suspiciously.

"I'll be waiting for the winning team in your final destination, along with the reward.

"Now, if you please, come with me."

They walked with him for a few minutes on the unknown beach until they reached what looked like a large, covered road-sign stuck in the sand.

"This sign will show you the first direction you must head in, until you reach a new sign, just like this one, giving you a new direction."

It was time for the teams to get started. "Go ahead, point your compass to the north so we'll be ready", whispered Jonathan in Yau-Man's ear, and he did so. Ami observed and did the same. Her compass told her they were facing north right now.

"Survivors ready?" Jeff asked, just out of politeness, as he was going to start the challenge anyway. "GO!"

And he uncovered the sign, which was actually a drawing of a compass, with its arrow pointing north, ahead of where they were standing.

The air was filled with movement as fourteen people first watched to see where their compass-holder was heading, and then sprinted in that direction.

"Ian, a bit to the right!" shouted Ami as she walked as fast as she could with her eyes both on the compass and on her teammates, to make sure they stayed on track. This was not an easy task.

Soon, it was getting clear that it was no use running as fast as possible, as the navigators could only walk at a certain pace. Yau-Man tried to run while looking at the compass - but the movement shook the little arrow so badly the direction was unclear. It was essential for them to know where they were going at all times.

They were all half-running, half-walking on the beach for a few minutes, with the compass-holders yelling directions a few times, when the ocean was finally seen from afar. A minute later, when they could examine the sea in more detail, they noticed two things in it - a small boat and a shabby-looking raft, both with oars already on them. Ian, who was now leading the pack, thought things couldn't have been clearer: The first team to get to the boat gets the boat; the second team is stuck with the raft.

Up until then, Ian ran as fast as he could; now that he's seen what's ahead, he ran a little bit faster. But he wasn't the only one: Dreamz was now at his side, apparently just as eager to get to the boat first.

With the boat a few feet from them, Ian realized this battle was lost. Dreamz threw himself on the boat, in what seemed like a painful gesture, and Ian was outrun. He now had the option of confronting Dreams, of getting on that boat and refusing to let the other team have it, insisting that it ain't over until all seven members of a team arrive, but he felt it wasn't right. Dreamz arrived first. Ian didn't run anymore when approaching the raft.

Soon the others arrived, with Ami and Yau-Man bringing up the rear: they were both running, understanding that looking at the compass wasn't much use until they reached the shore. Dreamz's team was quick to realize they were lucky enough to be handed the better vehicle. They settled in the small boat, each of them holding an oar except for Yau-Man, who placed himself at the front in order to see where they were going.

Ian's team wasn't feeling as grateful. It was hard for all seven to get on the rickety raft, as it seemed ready to fall apart at any minute. Once somewhat settled, six of them took six oars from the middle of the raft while Ami looked at the compass, trying to stop it from moving with the waves and find the north. When she took a second to look away from the compass and observe the other team, she saw the boat already getting further and further away. This was not a good sign.

"Row!" yelled Terry, and the team did as Terry ordered them to, struggling to get the raft away from the shore. "Row!"

The raft was making its way very slowly, with the waves bringing it backwards whenever they had made any progress. It seemed like they were moving at a pace that was getting them nowhere.

"It's fine, guys", Cirie tried to encourage them, "once we pass the big waves, it'll be a smooth ride."

"Ami", Terry asked, "are we moving in the right direction?"

"Yeah", she answered, "if you call that 'moving'."

The team that got the boat did a lot better. For one, they weren't in peril of drowning in the middle of the sea. Their boat seemed steady enough to carry them safely to their destination. "The current is trying to take us a bit too much to the west", Yau-Man pointed out, and the right side of the boat, which contained Cindy, Julie and Dreamz, all rowed a bit harder to straighten the boat.

"We got a system working over here!" said Dreamz happily. Things were looking bright.

When they noticed a round shape in the middle of the sea, things were looking brighter. "I think it might be our next direction!" announced an excited Jonathan. And indeed it was. When they got near enough to read the sign, they saw that the drawn compass' arrow was pointing to the east. "East it is!" said Yau-Man. "Courtney, Jonathan, Eliza, stop rowing for a second."

They were now heading east, with Yau-Man making sure they were staying on track. It wasn't an easy task, as the boat was moving constantly with the waves, but still, they were pretty sure they were doing better than the other team. With the sun in front of them covered with clouds, and the morning breeze in their faces, it was hard not to enjoy the challenge they were doing so well in. the endless surface of the sea was interrupted by a large, dark dot right in front of them - a dot which grew bigger and bigger until it became apparent that they were about to land on the sands of another island. This was not the case, however. When they got even closer, they weren't facing a beach they could anchor in - they were facing -"A frigging cliff", said a shocked Dreamz.

Tom was cutting branches left and right. It was dark there, with treetops hiding the sky, and thorns were slashing through their clothes and skin, but they could feel that they were close.

"I can feel we're close", said a worn-out Cirie.

"What exactly are we close to?" asked Ian. No one even knew what they were playing for.

"Right now", said Katie, "I'll be satisfied if our reward is an end to this challenge. Not that I'm not having fun", she said, removing a worm from her shoulder and tossing it to the ground, "because I am. Buck-loads of fun."

Terry wasn't having fun himself. It wasn't the challenge- this wasn't a problem for him. It was the atmosphere. Now, because of what Ami had said, everybody was shooting glances at him - he could feel it even in the semi-darkness. He needed to talk to Ami the very first chance he got, because with seven women out of fourteen players, this might be a game-changing point for him - or even a game-ending one.

"Ami?" asked Rafe. "We're dead on, right? We're on the right direction?"

"As far as I can tell", said Ami. "The compass is pointing us this way. I really hope it's the right one."

"Well, if it isn't", said Rafe, "at least we experienced a little bit of the nature that surrounds us, looked at some of the local vegetation -"

"Rafe", said Tom, "I'm holding a sharp machete, and I'm not afraid to use it."

But, apparently, Tom didn't need to use the machete any longer. They reached a clearing, and on that clearing they found Jeff, and a sight they didn't expect to see.

"Holy cow", said Tom, but there was no cow there, and certainly not a holy one.

Instead, they found themselves in a camp - a camp which was everything their camp wasn't.

"Congratulations", Jeff smiled at them. "Come and have a look at your reward."

The first thing that caught their eyes was the shelter. A real shelter. Not just a tree you sleep under - a built, comfortable-looking shelter, in which seven people could easily fit. Cirie smiled at the thought of sleeping without leaves falling all over her.

But the shelter wasn't the only improvement from their former camp. A large bundle of firewood - actual firewood, not just thin sticks they could pick from the ground without the help of any sort of knife - could be found right in front of them. There was a fire pit, with a fire already burning, and on one of the rocks circling it - flint. No more rubbing two sticks together in hopes of getting a spark - at least for a short period of time. Flint would make things easier.

The best part, though, was the sight of two trees in the middle of the clearing. It was obvious that the Galapagos Islands weren't their natural environment - they were probably planted by the production crew - but even Rafe, who usually hated people messing with the environment, didn't mind those trees. A coconut tree stood at their left, full of big, hairy, brown coconuts. A plantain tree stood at their right, full of big, slick yellow plantains. Ian, who got used to the idea of living from one potato every three days, didn't mind getting used to some variety in the food section.

"This is your reward", Jeff stated. "For the next day and a half, you will be living at a normal camp, a camp where some things are given to you, unlike the camp you left early this morning. You won't have to struggle when starting a fire, or when trying to sleep - you will experience camp-life that is more similar to what you had experienced on your previous seasons."

Katie and Ian exchanged looks. Katie mouthed to Ian: "Where is the bathroom?"

At that moment, noise came from the path Tom had carved for them - The other team, lead by Yau-Man, had arrived.

Awkward silence ensued. Terry tried not to look too pleased at the look of the other seven realizing they had just lost.

"Come on in", Jeff welcomed the late-comers. "I'm sorry to tell you that all of this-" he showed them the camp with his hands, "is not for you to enjoy. You will return to your regular camp until the next immunity challenge takes place."

Courtney's heart dropped like an unreachable coconut falling from a tree. She had been sure that if they had enough faith in their team's success, they would prevail. But they didn't. They lost. Why was that? For some strange reason, Shane's voice came into her head loud and clear: 'isn't that sad, Courtney, that your new god didn't come and save you? He's not a very good god, that one, is he? Maybe you should pick a better one next time.'

"Congratulations", Julie said to the winners, and the other six from her team tried to look as pleased with the outcome as they possibly could.

Jonathan said, a little more loudly than he meant: "remember to eat and sleep enough for all of us."

The losing team said their goodbyes and then went back through the jungle path, through the rocky beach, through the sea on their boat, the boat that was sure to bring them victory in the challenge. They were surprised to see the sun beginning to disappear into the sea. When they arrived to the island where the challenge had begun, they didn't need a compass to point them to the canoe waiting for them at the other end.

"Who needs coconuts, or plantains, or a shelter, when we got each other?" Eliza said melancholy.

"I do", answered Dreamz.

"Who wants dinner?" asked Ami, lightening the fire easily with the flint. "That was just a hypothetical question, of course."

The mood couldn't have been more relaxed. They all tried their shelter, their comfortable, padded, spacious shelter, and it was all they could ever wish for - except for a bed, of course, but after six nights of sleeping - or rather, not sleeping - on the ground, they had already forgotten such a thing as a bed even existed.

"I can get used to this!" said a cheerful Cirie.

"We shouldn't, though", pointed out Ami, "get used to it, that it. In two days' time, we're back to our old shelter. We shouldn't get too comfortable."

"Too late", came Ian's voice from the shelter. "I'm not moving from this spot until a giant dinosaur comes crashing, looking for human meat, and even then, I'll have to weigh my options. This is just so good."

"I feel sorry for the people not here to enjoy it", said Tom seriously.

"No, you don't!" argued Ian.

"No, I really don't", agreed Tom.

Ami offered her tribe fried coconuts, which never tasted better, and then they all settled in the shelter for the night, even though it was still dusk.

"I wonder what it feels like to sleep", said Katie.

"Well", said Rafe, "we'll soon find out."

And in just a few minutes, they found out.

Tom and Ian were the first up on day eight. The sun was already halfway up.

"Best-" Ian yawned, "-sleep-" he stretched his hands and yawned once again, "-ever".

Tom was grateful for the opportunity to talk to Ian privately - he waited for this since the last tribal council. Ian, on the other hand, was dreading this.

"Let's go for a walk", Tom offered, or, perhaps, ordered Ian.

"Sure", Ian said meekly.

The two of them walked quietly for a long time. They left the clearing and walked through the path from which they came the day before, until they reached the beach. It was still very early in the morning, and everything was painted in bright gold. Finally, Tom spoke.

"I was quite surprised at last tribal's outcome, to tell you the truth", he said offhandedly.

"Yeah", Ian tried, "it was pretty intense."

"You probably know what I'm about to ask you", Tom said, wanting to get to the point.

Ian sighed. "You're wondering if I'm one of the alliance members who voted for Shane to leave instead of Cindy." He was quiet for a few seconds. Lying to Tom was like trying to fool a lie-detector. "Well, I did, but it was simply-"

"I don't need any explanations", said Tom, almost robotically. "I just wanted to know, so I could act accordingly."

When they returned, a plantain breakfast was in the making, and everybody was already up, with big grins on their faces.

"Good morning!" Katie welcomed her Palau pals. "What have you two been up to?"

"We were looking for the bathroom", Ian tried to smile at her. "Couldn't find it anywhere."

Katie looked at Ian, then at Tom, and understood. She couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the spot she put Ian in, but then again, it's not like he didn't do the same to her once. It was a different game, with different alliances, and in an all-star season, relationships, with all their importance, need to be put on hold. It's not what this game's about. She just wanted to find an opportunity to say all this to Ian.

"I think I know where the bathroom is", said Katie to Ian. "You want me to show you?"

When Ian nodded, and they began to walk away from camp, Katie couldn't help but notice she had just used the worst excuse ever for two people to get away from the others. But who cares. She doesn't need to be subtle around people like Terry.

Terry didn't catch Katie's and Ian's exchange. He was too busy helping Ami in making breakfast, by bringing her plantains which he picked himself from the nearby tree. This was his chance to talk to her privately by the fire, as Tom went to sit with Cirie and Rafe in the shelter, out of earshot.

"Listen", he said, not looking directly at Ami, but rather at the frying pan full of raw plantains. "It's obvious you have some kind of problem with me. You didn't talk to me once during the past week. Now, I don't know what you've heard from Cirie…"

"She just told me certain things you said", said Ami matter-of-factly. "Things that sort of conveyed your opinions on women, and their place."

"Well", Terry stumbled with his words, "you needed to be there in order to understand, to hear the context it was said in-"

"It's not just that", Ami said, focusing on the plantains. "It's what I saw on TV from you. It's your behavior during the last seven days. I'm sorry if I've been tough on you yesterday, I really am. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that we're just two very different people."

"Well, that's fine", Terry now turned his talk into a whisper, "but you don't understand what's at stake here."

Ami finally looked at him. "What do you mean? What's at stake?"

Terry signaled with his head the cameraman sitting at their side, taping their every word. "My wife will be watching", he said, now so quietly Ami had to lean closer, "and so will my co-workers, and my two kids. They can't know I've said those kinds of things. I beg you to help me here. You don't have to lie; just… don't mention it anymore. Please, Ami."

It was like looking at a little child begging not to be punished. Ami didn't know what to say. On one hand, she hated Terry's arrogance, his self-entitlement. On the other, she wasn't going to destroy his persona on TV, even if it's a fake one. Terry has a sexist side, but he probably doesn't show it in his day-to-day life. This is for him to solve, however; Ami didn't feel comfortable affecting Terry's personal life like that.

"Your secret's safe with me", Ami said at last.

Terry couldn't believe it. Was Ami really letting it slide by so easily?

Back in Exile Island, the same thing had occurred. Terry had made comments he shouldn't have made, and Aras had heard them, and shared them with Cirie. But back then, Terry had begged Aras to forget what he heard, to not talk about it, at least in front of the cameras. And he got his wish. And now, Ami agreed to do the same.

"I'm glad you came through with your vote", said Katie to Ian.

"Well", said Ian, "Tom isn't. He's furious."

They were walking deep into the woods, with bird noises all around them.

"He shouldn't be. That was your decision. You are allowed to make your own decisions in this game. You're supposed to make your own decisions."

Ian frowned. "Tom doesn't see it that way. He sees it as a betrayal of trust. I think he sees him and me as a two-headed person, as if we're the same being…"

"I think it's more than that", said Katie. It was uncomfortable to say, but she felt it was needed to be said. "You and I both know Tom likes to… play the lead role. He likes to take control, and he expects you to go along with him. The last tribal-council, you had acted on your own, and that scared him. It implies you have thoughts, feelings, god forbid. You shouldn't feel bad you have those, Ian. If anything, you should start thinking separately from Tom, to think what's best for you and you alone."

"And you believe it's best for me to jump ship", Ian said fiercely. "You think I should align with you and your alliance."

"It's only my alliance because it's the correct alliance to have in this game!" Katie said, frustrated. "Do you really want to be stuck in the end with Terry? With Tom? Do you remember what happened the last time we were stuck in the end with Tom?"

Ian didn't answer.

Katie continued: "I know jumping ship can be hard, especially this early in the game. But you'll have people in your alliance that you can beat. You'll have me in your alliance, and I think I proved to you last time that I'm willing to go with you as far as possible."

"You know I adore you, Katie", Ian said, "and I really wish I was in an alliance with you. But that's not how things turned out. This is just the way it is. To each his own."

Ian didn't want to flip flop, not in this stage of the game. He had made an alliance, and he should stick to it. And yet, what was Tom's statement all about? 'I just wanted to know, so I could act accordingly'? That did not sound too reassuring.

Tom was only half-hearing Cirie and Rafe talking. Mostly, he was thinking about Ian, and how much he could trust him. The answer to that question wasn't going to play a role in Tom's game - he was going to take Ian to the end, no matter what - but it was a thing of interest. Ian chose to vote out Shane, instead of going with the group consensus, and not only that - he chose not to share this with Tom, or with anybody, for that matter. Was he trying to show his rebellious side? To stand up on his own to (very large) feet? Or was he pushed into a corner? If he was, Tom had an idea about who was the pusher. And he also had an idea how to stop the pusher from pushing, so that the pusher will push no more.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Rafe asked, watching Ami and Terry exchanging words.

"Probably speculating about what we're talking about", speculated Tom.

"Seems likely", agreed Cirie. "It's so strange, the paranoia that's starting to sink in. You won't do that in your normal life - thinking about what goes on in other people's minds… and here, only eight days in, you're starting to lose it!"

"I'll tell you who's starting to lose it", Rafe said, in a gossipy manner. "Courtney. Did you see how she looked at us yesterday when she realized she lost the challenge? For just a moment, I feared for my life. I feared for her life."

"Maybe I'm not the best to judge", said Cirie slowly, "as I didn't have the best relationship in the world with Courtney, but she does seem… more mental than usual. And not even in a theatrical way, like she's used to - it's just her eyes. There's something off about them."

"I see what you mean" Tom said. "I thought Shane's departure would allow her to stand on her own two feet - but it just made it worse, from the little I've seen. She seems so lost."

Rafe jumped in: "I'm feeling a bit lost myself, to tell you the truth, after Shane's departure. How did that happen?"

"That's what I've talked to Ian about", Tom said, "not long ago. He was one of the votes."

Rafe couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And who were the others?"

"Couldn't tell you", said Tom. "But if I had to make a guess, it would be Dreamz. He seemed shady the moment Yau-Man and I approached him to join the alliance, and, depending on his past reputation, that shouldn't surprise us."

"So what does that mean?" asked Rafe, "do we just cut him off?" And then, it hit him. Not the answer to the question what to do; he didn't have the answer. It hit him that he was sitting in a shelter, talking strategy with Tom and Cirie. Talking strategy with Tom and Cirie. He had to say it a few times in his head to make it real. Talking strategy with Tom and Cirie. He was sitting there, talking with those two +#+@$@ like an equal. At this moment he decided - he wouldn't give this alliance, this situation, for the world.

"I don't think so", said Tom, "Not cut him off completely, anyway, that wouldn't do us any good. It's not like he voted one of us out- he just didn't agree with our decision."

Cirie wasn't convinced. "But we do have enough people in our alliance even without him. We could pull it off, if we decided to."

"And what kind of message will it send to the others?" asked Tom. "People like Eliza, who I'm guessing feels out of place as it is, will only understand from this that the people at the bottom of the alliance are in danger, and will do something about it - we have to stay away from over-analyzing, from rushing things. As my old friend, Gregg, used to say - let's just stick to the plan."

"Yeah", said Rafe, "Yeah, we probably should, this early in the game. And besides, it's not like getting rid of Shane was such a bad idea, Dreamz and Ian and who-else kinda knew what they were doing - he was one of the most dangerous people here, if allowed to play long enough. Not one honest word came out of his mouth. He's a natural actor."

"It's kind of funny", said Cirie, "how one's profession can tell you so much about the way that person's gonna play the game. Shane will of course try to act his way into winning, as opposed to someone like you, Tom, being a fireman-"

"Actually, I'm in insurance now."