Page 36 of Sweet Surrender
What the actual fuck?
“Instead, the last two teams to complete their puzzle will be at risk of being voted out at The Sending tonight,” Vivian added, though Allie’s ears were still ringing with disappointment so loud she could barely hear the words.
Silence.
Allie’s stomach dropped somewhere near her ankles. Beside her, Barra let out a strangled sound. “We should’ve expected it,” Toph muttered under her breath.
“Why?” Tilly whispered right back.
“Because production has a schedule,” Toph replied matter-of-factly. “And the weather delay is obviously pushing everything forward.”
Allie hadn’t even considered that. Nor did she have time now, because Vivian was already calling out names. “Elodie and Anna, please step forward and choose your color.”
THE FIRST HIT OF WATERstole Allie’s breath clean out of her chest. After the heavy rain, the ocean was colder than expected. But she pushed forward anyway. Her arms cut through the breakers and her legs kicked hard against the water until the sand dropped beneath her.
Ahead, the purple buoys bobbed, half hidden when waves lifted, only to reappear again when they dropped. Allie watched them with hatred in her eyes. But only for a second before Barra swam into her field of vision. She reached one buoy, looking completely effortless in her strokes. Then, as if she could feel Allie’s eyes on her, she snapped her head toward her and smiled. A smile that got a fire going deep into Allie’s bones.
Allie kicked harder than before. A few seconds later, she reached a purple buoy and grabbed the rope. The knot was so tight her nails ached, but that didn’t stop her. Neither did the wave that crashed into the side of her face. Finally, the knot gave way. Allie pulled the puzzle piece free and turned to swim back to shore. But just as she did, she swallowed a mouthful of saltwater.
“Are you okay?” Barra called as Allie spluttered and coughed and did everything she could not to drown, including abandoning the puzzle piece and flailing her arms like she was signaling for help. And maybe she was. Because in the next second, Barra was at her side.
“Just breathe,” Barra said, grabbing the puzzle piece, which she handed back to Allie once she’d stopped choking on saltwater. “And take your time. I’ll get most of the pieces. You just do what you can.”
“I’m not an invalid.” Allie coughed. Although she felt quite like an invalid. Why were her lungs burning like this? Surely by this stage of the game, she should be a seal in the water.
Barra laughed just as a wave rose up behind her and broke hard against her shoulder, shoving her sideways. She lookedentirely unperturbed. “You’re right. You’re just really bad at water challenges.” She winked and swam off.
Allie felt a dip in her stomach that had nothing to do with the waves and everything to do with Barra. She embraced the sensation, turned, and pushed after Barra toward the shore. The sand wasn’t much better, but only because her legs were stiff from the fall the other day. Or so her excuse would go if asked later. She dropped the puzzle piece on the purple strip of canvas and wanted nothing more than to lie down. Instead, she reluctantly went back to the ocean.
“GREEN TEAM IS IN THE LEAD,” Vivian’s voice carried over the surf. “TOPH AND TILLY ALREADY HAVE SIX PIECES ON THEIR MAT!”
What the hell?
“MARGARET AND VALERIE ARE HOT ON THEIR HEELS.”
“Just keep moving!” Barra said, calling back behind her.
Which was exactly what Allie was going to do. Except by the third trip, Allie’s shoulders started to burn as hot as a furnace. Her strokes were so slow that on more than one occasion she wondered if she was moving at all. Then there was also the wind pushing against her on the way out.
“PURPLE TEAM IS STILL BEHIND!” Vivian shouted. Then her tone shifted as she called, “ELODIE, ARE YOU OKAY?”
Allie glanced over despite being moments from hitting the surf. Elodie was back on the shore, bent forward, coughing again. Except it sounded worse this time. Way worse. Her shoulders hitched as she braced her knees with her hands. The sounds dragging out of her chest could make a dog bark. Vivian stood just a few feet away from her with a terribly worried expression on her face. She looked like a person about to call the challenge. She even gestured toward the production, but thenElodie jumped into a jog. “I’M FINE!” she yelled. “SERIOUSLY, I’M FINE!!”
That seemed to be the end of it. Not that Allie waited around to find out. She dove into the breakers, ignoring her exhaustion. At least the last purple piece was easy to get, and when she finally staggered onto the mat, she dropped the piece and doubled over to catch her breath.
“PURPLE TEAM CAN START ON THEIR PUZZLE!” Vivian called. “GREEN TEAM IS ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH THEIRS! BLUE TEAM IS CLOSE BEHIND.”
Allie and Barra were somehow last. Even Elodie and Anna had already started on their puzzle. Although with Elodie still having a coughing fit, it became clear Anna was the only one actually doing anything.
“Don’t think about the other teams,” Barra said, stepping in beside Allie at the table. Her voice was like a breath of fresh air. Allie felt just a touch less exhausted. “The puzzle is the equalizer. We can still catch up.”
And cows could fly and chickens could quack.
But still, Allie flipped a piece over, then another, and another. Barra gathered all the pieces with edges and lined them along the border. The puzzle was always an inspirational slogan relating to that season. Allie could already see palm fronds and half of an E that could possibly be the start of the word ENDURE. She found a corner piece and slotted it in. Barra snapped two edges together and then slid a piece to Allie.
“I think that says ADAPT,” Allie said, spotting half the word printed on a piece.
“And that says OUTLAST,” Barra said, sliding a piece toward her. The middle started filling in: patches of green, then the sky, then the sharp streak of what she thought was a macaw’s wing. For a second, Allie experienced a bloom of hope so bright thatshe was even smiling. She reached for another piece, already angling it in her hand.
