All-Star Survivor: Greece Episode #13 Challenging the Gods

Xanathos Tribe: Stephanie Dill, Ramona Gray, Peter Harkey, Tanya Vance

DAY 37



CRACK!


The lightning struck the island, sending a sharp crack through the air. The smell of electricity hung thick in the sky, as rain poured down from above, in heavy torrents. This was the second lightning bolt in the past hour, the second one to hit the island, and just the thought of it was scaring Ramona half to death.

She huddled against a tree, burrowed deep inside her sleeping bag. This was her thick red sleeping bag, the one that had been provided to each of the castaways, their only protection against the elements for the last three days. Well, that and a pillow. And now Ramona curled up deep inside her bag, praying over and over to God that she would somehow survive this day. That she would someday get back to her house.

She didn't much care about winning at the moment. Right now, she just didn't want to die.

The camera crews retreated under a tarp the moment the storm had hit, at around 10:00 A.M. They went for the tarp almost immediately, wanting to get all their heavy equipment out of the line of fire. Because this one was a doozy. Rain was absolutely drenching the poor castaways, and even the hardened production crew could feel some empathy for poor Ramona. The city girl was terrified, that much was obvious. She was finding out firsthand that lightning was -much- scarier out at sea than it is at home. And the producers could hear her prayers now... over and over and over. But they couldn't do a thing to help her.

She was on her own.

All four castaways had been shuttled to different islands late last night. The were now occupying the four southernmost islands of the chain, all isolated from the rest. And it wasn't just Ramona that had been feeling a bit lost out here. -All- of them were alone now. Ramona on Alkyone. Tanya on Taygete. Peter on Kelaino. And Stephanie on Maia.

Some of them had dealt with it better than the others, of course. Peter Harkey was right at home by himself, on his own island. He hadn't minded at all to be separated from the rest. In fact, he seemed to be thriving. Before the storm had hit, he had been sitting on his beach, meditating and reflecting on his place in the game. If you had asked him, he would have said it was his favorite moment thus far in the game, to just sit and relax and be one with the islands. To be one with the history of Greece.

"Last night," he explained, "Was a very difficult time for me. Because I saw my friend voted out. And that's something that no mattah how hahd you play this game, you can't be ready for. There's no way to plan for it." He shrugged. "And truth be told, I -was- upset. I was a little upset, and I hate to admit it. Because that's not me. I'm not the type of person to hold grudges, and stay angry. That's just not what I'm all about."

He shifted in the sand, readjusting his legs to sit differently.

"So Tanya did what she did. That's that, and I just say more powah to her. If that's the way she wants to play the game, I can't do much but tip my cap to her. It just means she's going to win. She obviously loves the scheming paht of it all, but it's not really my place to say that she's wrong. That's just what she wants to do, and that's it. But I will tell you this..."

He grinned.

"Karma is a powerful enemy to have. You don't want to start messing around with stuff like that. Not here, not in a place like this."

Peter had spent most of the morning reflecting upon his feelings. Sure, he had been bummed that Gabe was gone. Truth be told, it had been devastating. Because Gabe hadn't said a word. Gabe had fulfilled his promise to say nothing, and thus Peter had been completely in the dark when it happened.

He had simply not seen it coming.

"The thing about Gabe is this," Peter added. "He would make the perfect winnah for this show. If it came down to him or me, I probably would have wanted him to win, just because I know how well he would hold that title. I mean... Gabe is the man. I've learned more from him in my forty-six years than I ever have from anyone else. He represents what is best about this game, and it would have been fitting to see him as the Sole Survivah." He shrugged. "So yeah, I was a little mad about it when he left. I'll admit it. I thought it was wrong, and it was not his time to go. It just didn't seem right to me."

Peter tried to move on, but had just one more thing to add. Sometimes, he tended to ramble a little.

"Besides, I -almost- had him convinced he didn't have to give the money away. I -had- him." He chuckled. "I just told him that the law of the universe only requires you to tithe ten percent of your income to charity. You don't have to give it all away, there's nothing wrong with keeping some for yourself! He could have kept the rest, and done whatever he wanted, and it would have been okay." He laughed now. "He could have built up some village with the money, and now I guess he'll never get the chance."

So Peter had eventually forgiven Tanya. After all, that had been his strategy all along. Total forgiveness for all. Never say anything bad about someone on camera. And always have fun.

"And I'm still having fun," he had admitted, "The minute I'm not having fun anymore is the minute I want to go home. That's my philosophy out here. Just enjoy it while you can."

That had been three hours ago. Before the storm. And now, Peter was huddled under a tree, bundled up in a raincoat, still trying to enjoy the scenery on his own little island.

"Are you still gaving fun?" a producer called out from behind a camera.

"Yeah," said Peter, yelling loud enough to be heard over the whine of the wind. "This is a blast! We don't get this much at home, do we? It's great!"

No one was ever sure if he was kidding when he said stuff like that. And he said it repeatedly. Peter was just hard for most of them to get a read on.

Even after all this time.



^^



Shortly after noon, the storm subsided, and the weary castaways emerged from their makeshift shelters. They all came out to talk to the cameras, eager to have some actual human contact. After all, being alone on your own island was quite a change out here. Some of them, it was starting to drive a little bit batty. They just needed somebody to talk to.

"I wish I could have talked to Peter," explained Tanya, as she glanced over at Kelaino. "I wanted so badly to explain to him why it happened the way it did, and why Gabe had to go. And I thought I would have had a chance, too. But this new twist kind of got in the way of everything, and... you know." She sighed. "I've been trying to figure out how to tell Peter all day. Because he needs to know, or else I'm screwed."

Tanya had already wandered most of her island, trying to make the most of her first experience on Taygete. But eventually she had come right back here, to her little makeshift home, her little dug-out spot under a tree. And now, she was frantically trying to figure out how she was going to get to the end of this thing.

"My goal," she confessed, "Was to make a final two alliance with everybody. I made one with Steph right after the merge. I made one with Mona two days ago. And I -wanted- to make one with Peter as soon as possible after we got rid of Gabe. That was my plan."

She again glanced over at Kelaino, towards Peter's island.

"I just wish I could talk to him, just for a little bit. Hopefully Jeff will let us talk at the challenges. Or I don't know what he's gonna do. He's liable to come after me, unless he's as good at forgiving as he claims he is."

She shrugged, helpless to do anything about it now.

"I guess we'll see."



^^



Tanya wasn't the only one who spent the day worrying.

"This sucks." claimed Ramona. "I hate it!"

Ramona was not a fan of being on her own island. She thought it wouldn't be that bad, thought it would be kind of serene. But she had been wrong. First came the nighttime, the long empty stretch of darkness that had enveloped her like a blanket last night. And it wasn't that she was afraid of the dark or anything. No, it was nothing like that. She had just been unable to sleep.

She thought she would have been happy last night. After all, Tanya had come through when it had counted. -Finally.- Tanya had voted for Gabriel, just like she said she would. And now with the two women sharing a final two pact, Ramona should have been ecstatic. She was there. All they had to do was knock off Peter, and then Stephanie, and they had it in the bag.

Ramona and Tanya. The final two.

"But something's not right," she had commented last night, as she sat alone in front of her small fire. "It doesn't feel right. I don't know what it is, but something's bothering me about it."

Ramona tried to push the doubts out of her mind, but they had bothered her all night, thus the reason for her insomnia. She couldn't help it, she was just a worrier. When a thought managed to wiggle its way into her head, she often had a heck of a time trying to get it out. And last night had been no exception. With no one else here, and no distractions whatsoever, all she could do was lay there and think about it.

And then there had been this morning's storm, and the mortal terror that Ramona felt, cuddled up inside her sleeping bag. That certainly hadn't helped her mindset very much.

"And ever since then," she said now, "I've been kind of bombarded with two thoughts. The first one is, 'You've done it. Final two, baby!' And I get all excited cause this happy voice just keeps pounding away in my head. Bam bam bam!" She gestured with her hands, excitedly. "But then there's the pessimist voice, the one that says 'Watch out. Don't trust Tanya, Ramona, don't do it!'"

She sighed.

"And honestly, it's gonna be a rough last three days. Because you -have- to trust people out here, and my only real choice has been Tanya. I hate it, but that's the way it's been. Tanya has been my lifeline to everything since I came over, and no one else would even give me the time of day."

She stood up, not wanting to talk about it any more.

"Let's just get this challenge done," she said. "I can't take it anymore. Let's just get it over with, and see who's going home."



^^



The only female who felt secure and well-adjusted today was, ironically, Stephanie. She wasn't worried at all. In fact, she felt great. She was having fun again.

"Today is the first day," she said, "Where I actually thought about winning. I woke up today and thought, you know what? You could be a millionaire in two days. How does that make you feel?"

Stephanie had spent the night on Maia island, sleeping like a baby. She even slept through most of the storm today, not being bothered by it at all. She had simply pulled the sleeping bag up over her head, and blocked it all out. Storms never tended to bother her. And it was clear that she was pretty happy with the way things were going. Like she said, all of a sudden Stephanie Dill had a very realistic shot at winning this game.

She was just realizing it now, too. Finally.

"I came here with two goals in mind," she explained. "Just two of 'em. One, of course, was to have fun and put on a show. I wanted to make for good TV, since I didn't so well with that in Thailand. I felt I owed it to myself to just be natural this time. And my second goal was to get people to underestimate me. I figured if I acted out a little, and tried to play to the cameras somewhat, people would forget about me. And they really kind of did." She shrugged. "Yeah, true I was pissed off most of the time, and wasn't always thinking real straight. But still, I knew better than to give my all in most of the challenges. Why would I do that? There's no real advantage to being a strong chick out here, you see what happens to us."

She glanced south, over at Taygete island, where she could see Tanya.

"And it's funny, cause I know you guys think Tanya and I had some big alliance planned. Like we were a secret pact. But it wasn't like that at all! It was just somethin' I thought up a few months ago, that would be funny. Hey, you know, let's fake fight out there. I didn't have any idea we'd be an actual final two pact by the end. No way! That was something that just came about, out of necessity."

Stephanie went on for some time, spilling her guts to the cameras, as she talked about the game, as well as her hopes and dreams in life. For her, the moment was almost spiritual. It was the first time she had really dropped her "wild woman" exterior in a long time. The first time she had really been herself, at least since John left.

Yes, today was looking to be a good day. Victory was definitely within reach. She figured most any of the other three players would take her to the final two, if need be. They all underestimated her. So barring any unforeseen tragedies, Stephanie was almost a shoo-in for the final two. She knew it, too.

"My goal from here on out is simple," she concluded. "Just don't get myself voted out. And then get to work on my jury speech."

She smiled.

It was going to be a fun final three days indeed.




^^




The boats came for the players at approximately four o'clock.

They had spent the entire day by themselves, all separate, alone with nothing but their thoughts. Some had reached a state of near panic, like Ramona, while others had enjoyed the experience immensely, like Peter. They had at least all glimpsed one another from time to time, and tried to wave and at least say hi... but they were all aware that this was an individual game now.

One look at their living situation was all that needed to be said about that.

But now they were being ferried to the big immunity challenge, to be held on Elektra island. Jeff stood on the beach, hands behind his back, as he watched the four boats approaching shore.

Peter's boat came first, as he sat in the back, behind the rower. Peter wore a blue T-shirt and clutched his black backpack in his hand. He looked ready to go.

Ramona and Stephanie's boats came in right behind Peter, as the two women smiled and laughed with one another during the trip. Both of them wore their violet buffs in an identical manner, around their necks.

And finally, there was Tanya's boat. It approached the shore a bit slower than the rest, as she had the weakest rower. But she sat in the back, looking anxious as everyone waited on the beach for her arrival. And finally, she was here.

They were all here.

"Hey guys," said Jeff, "Welcome back to society. What's it like to see other people again?"

"Weird," admitted Stephanie. "I was kinda getting used to solitude."

"So..." asked Jeff. "Do You guys have anything you want to talk about?"

No one said anything. Tanya, who had the most she needed to say, stayed silent. She wasn't sure how to handle this.

"This is your only chance if you want to talk," said Jeff. "This and right before Council. So if you want to say anything, or cut any deals, this may be your only chance to have any leverage. Keep that in mind."

They were silent. So Jeff waited. He knew something would happen. He had seen their interviews and confessionals from the past twenty four hours. He knew some of them were going batty. So he waited, and he smiled.

And it didn't take very long.

"I have something to say," said Tanya.

She looked at Peter.

"Peter, I just want to explain why I decided to vote for Gabe last night. Because I know you probably think I did it behind his back, or without his knowledge. But I -didn't-! I told him beforehand. He definitely knew he was going, and I told him -why- too."

"Hey," shrugged Peter, "It's no big deal. You do what you got to, right?"

And he meant it too. He really -had- forgiven her, and he had not said a single negative thing about Tanya Vance since it happened. He had been absolutely true to his morals, and had maintained a clear head about it. Peter had forgiven her absolutely. She again had a clean slate in his book.

"Good," she smiled, relieved. "Because Gabe and I are tight. You know that, Peter. I only voted for him because no one here could beat him. And he understood, too, he wasn't mad."

"That's all I need to hear," said Peter, as he reached over to pat her on the back. "You don't have to apologize, it's cool."

Stephanie and Ramona watched with interest, as Tanya appeared visibly relieved. She suddenly looked a lot less uptight, and her body language was a little more relaxed. It was no wonder Tanya had yet to say a word up until now. She obviously had a lot on her mind.

"Well," said Jeff, "Now that that's settled, are you guys ready for a challenge?"

He went on to explain the rules. He first pointed to a spot on the beach, where four treasure chests sat, one for each player.

"The key to victory today is inside that chest. And this is a game we like to call, simply, Pandora's Box." He smiled. "I'm sure you guys all know -that- myth."

Three of the players nodded, all but Stephanie. Although Ramona scowled somewhat at this information. Anything involving Pandora couldn't be good.

"Basically," explained Jeff, "Pandora was a woman created by Zeus. He created her out of clay, he made her beautiful, and he endowed her with every favorable attribute known to man. She was smart, she was talented, she was gifted, and she was lovely. The gods showered her with gifts, including one very special golden box. Pandora's Box. And Pandora was given specific instructions -never- to open this box. For despite its beautiful nature, it held a secret within. Something that should never be released into the world."

Jeff paused.

"But then, as a joke, the goddess Hera decided to give Pandora the gift of curiosity and... well, you know the rest. Pandora opened the box and released the concept of evil into the world. Death, plagues, disease, famine, all of it was released into the world, and mankind was thereby cursed forever."

Jeff held up a small golden key.

"You each have a key like this, buried in the sand at the base of your chest. You will need to dig it up, and then use it to unlock your chest. Inside your chest, you will find these."

He held up what looked like a softball. It was actually a large white ball, made out of thick plaster.

"You have about forty of these balls in your chest. You'll have to open these balls by smashing them against the rocks, down there." He pointed to a rocky section of the beach. "Take a ball from your chest, run to the rocks, and smash it open. Now, inside three of them is a ribbon. One white, one blue and one purple. The first player to find all three of your ribbons will win immunity."

Then he grinned.

"But beware, because the -other- thirty-seven balls contain surprises. Some of them more nasty than the others. But I'm sure you'll find that out soon enough."

With wary looks, the four players took their places, in a line in front of the host. He waited until they were set, and then raised his arm.

"This is for immunity. And a trip to the final three... survivors ready..."

He paused.

"Go!!!"

The four players sprinted off towards their chests, as fast as they could go. Ramona was the first to reach the spot, followed quickly by Tanya, and then Stephanie and Peter. The four of them dropped to their hands and knees to dig, and started pulling out handfuls of sand, in an attempt to find their key.

"That's it," encouraged Jeff, "You've got it. It's just a matter now of who finds their key first."

And within moments, he had his answer. Stephanie's hand closed around her small gold key, and she yanked it out of the sand, happily. She moved over to her chest, unlocked it, and threw the lid open. Inside were forty plaster balls, just as Jeff had promised. So she grabbed the one on top, palmed it, and started to run over to the smashing grounds.

Peter was the second to find his key, and he pulled it out with an "A-ha!" He unlocked his chest, opened it up, and took out his first ball.

Stephanie had reached the rocky area of the beach, about a hundred feet from her chest. She closed her eyes, raised the ball up, and smashed it against the rocks.

Inside lay a small blue ribbon.

"Sweet!" she said, as she picked it up. She hadn't expected to be lucky on her first smash. But not so lucky, however, was Peter. His ball smashed against the rock, and red paint splattered across his face and arms. The ball had been filled with paint.

"Jeff!" he yelled, to which the host laughed, gleefully.

But now Stephanie was back to her chest, and took out her second ball. Peter followed soon after, still covered with paint, and now Ramona had found her key as well. She unlocked her chest, and started her first run to the rocks.

Stephanie's second ball was also filled with paint, this time blue. It splattered across her face. Peter and Ramona's balls -also- contained paint, and they were soon covered with a yellow splatter. In fact, Peter was starting to look like a rainbow. He spit paint out of his mouth, frustrated, as he ran back to his chest yet again.

Tanya Vance watched, frustrated, as the other players were well on their way to finding their ribbons. She still had not found her key. Maybe she was digging in the wrong place? She looked at Jeff, and he could only shrug, apologetically. So she went back to the digging.

Six balls into it, and Peter was already tired of this game. He was covered in three shades of paint, one of the balls had exploded with a bang, and the other two had been filled with some sort of slime. But he reached the rocks with his seventh ball, panting, and finally hit the jackpot.

A small white ribbon emerged from the smashed ball. Now he and Stephanie were tied, one to one.

The players were beginning to slow down now, quite winded from the constant sprinting back and forth to the rocks. And then Tanya saw her chance. She finally found her key, pulled it out, and unlocked her chest. Now, it was just a matter of if she could outrun them all. And she was pretty sure she could.

The contest passed rather slowly, as most of them were now walking back and forth to the rocks. None of them could run for very long, not after a month of starvation. But there were some interesting things to emerge from the balls in the upcoming minutes, some of which made the players none too happy.

Stephanie's tenth ball was filled with a mild form of pepper spray. It exploded into a cloud of dust, and her eyes started to sting. She cursed loudly, as she wiped her eyes with a handful of sea water.

Peter's ninth ball was filled with worms.

Tanya's second ball would not shatter at all. It was solid, with nothing inside. She tried five times, but it wouldn't break, so she gave up.

And Ramona was lucky enough to get the tarantula ball. Needless to say, she ran from the rocks after that one.

After fifteen minutes, the players were winded. No one could run anymore, and Ramona was stopping to take a breather after each smash. Only Peter and Stephanie had found a ribbon, but then the contest kicked up a notch.

Because Stephanie found her second ribbon.

She grinned, and scooped the white ribbon up in her hand. Now, she needed only one more.

"Stephanie has two," announced Jeff, "And Peter has one."

"I got one!" yelled Ramona, as she held up a purple ribbon.

Peter finally ran back to his chest now. He knew his butt was on the line tonight, and he snatched up his twenty-third ball. He said a quick prayer, and raced over to the rocks. He brought the ball down, heard the familiar hollow smash, and looked down.

It was his purple ribbon. Ribbon number two.

"Peter has two!" announced Jeff. "And Stephanie has two! Next ribbon for either one wins!"

Ramona and Tanya tried again and again, but neither one could find a ribbon. Tanya still had none, and could only watch as Peter raced like a madman, back and forth between the chest and the rocks. She didn't want him to win. She desperately didn't want him to win, because she didn't buy his forgiveness act at all. He would be gunning for her tonight if he was safe, she knew it.

Stephanie grabbed another ball out of her chest, and ran down to the rocks. She raised it up, smashed it down... and got another faceful of the pepper spray.

"Christ!" she said, as she spit some of the noxious stuff from her mouth.

Peter reached the rocks, and smashed his rock down. It splattered him with yet more paint, this time white.

Stephanie returned for another ball, and shattered it on the rocks. She closed her eyes, felt nothing wet hit her face, and then looked down, hopefully.

It was empty.

Now Peter reached the rocks, with ball number twenty-five. He raised it up, closed his eyes, and shattered it against the rocks. And this time, he was in luck.

His blue ribbon sat in the sand.

"I got it! I got it!" he yelled, as he held the ribbon up high. "Jeff, I got all three!"

Jeff came over to check, and announced that it was all over.

"Peter! Wins immunity!"

Peter thrust his fist in the air, most of his arm and body covered with paint and assorted other substances. But he didn't care. He had won. He had done it.

And Tanya could only watch in frustration as her choice for expulsion was suddenly no longer an option. Peter was safe. He had that cursed immunity necklace around his neck.

It looked like the plan would have to be changed.




^^



Tribal Council began almost immediately afterwards. The players were shuttled to Merope as a group, although Jeff had given them a chance to wash up first. So most of them were pretty clean now, although Peter still had a streak of yellow and red running through his hair.

The jurors were now seated, as Gabe had been the last to sit down. All of them looked well-rested, clean shaven, and healthy. Debb sat on the left, followed by Jessie, then John, then Ryan, and finally Gabe. The five of them sat now, watching, waiting to see who would be joining their ranks tonight.

"So," Jeff greeted the players, "First off, I want to make an observation. I'm not sure if you guys have noticed this yet."

He pointed to Ramona.

"When we did our first season, from day one, I was sure that Ramona was going to win. I had her pegged as the winner right off the bat. In fact, I was -positive- that she had what it would take to get to the end."

He then pointed to Tanya.

"When we did Thailand, I thought Tanya was going to be a force to be reckoned with. I had her figured as a final four contestant, easy, and maybe even a winner."

Then he nodded to Stephanie.

"And Steph... we'll let's just say that -everybody- was surprised that she left so early. She was a -huge- favorite among the production crew to win the game. Without question."

He smiled.

"Three women here, all three of whom were originally expected to do quite well. Yet only illness stood in your way, for each and every one of you. I just thought I'd point that out, that it seems all three of you are back to reclaim your prize this time. To take back the chance you never got the first time around. A delayed destiny, if you will."

Then he turned to Peter.

"And then we have me," laughed Peter.

"Ahh... Peter," smiled Jeff. "Do you remember what we said to you right before we left for the Marquesas. Do you remember the warning we gave you?"

"Sure," answered the big man. "You said the game would be hardah for me than for anyone else. You thought I'd be the first one out. Either that, or the winnah."

"That's right," smiled Jeff. "That's exactly what we said."

He paused for a moment.

"So, instead of asking my traditional questions tonight, I'm gonna open the floor to you guys. You haven't had much of a chance to speak in a while, so this is your time. If you guys have questions, feel free to ask away. This is an open forum, and we'll stay here and talk for a while, as long as you guys need to. Just let me know when you're done, and then we'll vote, okay?"

He stepped back and sat down.

And now, they were all on the spot.

"I'll staht," said Peter, as no one else seemed to want to say anything. Jeff nodded, so Peter turned to Tanya.

"Tanya, I have one question for you. And this has nothing to do with revenge, or retribution. You know I don't play like that. This is strategic only, for my sake."

Tanya nodded.

"But I just want to ask," finished Peter, "Which one of these two you have a final two pact with. Because I know you have at least one, and maybe two. So just tell me who you're voting with tonight. That's all I want to know."

Tanya stared at him, smiling, as she felt the blood rush out of her face. Her little plan was about to be exposed. Because Peter was right. She -did- have a final two pact with both Ramona and Stephanie. And neither of them knew about the other. Peter was trying to force her to reveal her hand right now.

So she improvised.

"Peter, I'm sorry but I'm just not gonna tell you."

Peter just smiled at her, as he didn't respond right away. He stared at her now, in the way he sometimes did when he was trying to read a person. He was watching her face, and appeared to be trying to read something in her eyes.

"Come on," he finally said. "We're all friends here, right? Let's just get everything out in the open. Why not? Let's just lay it -all- out on the table and let everyone know -who- is teamed up with who." He gestured with his hands as he talked, not realizing he was doing it. "All I'm asking is which one of these two ladies you're voting for tonight. Cause we all know that one of 'em is leaving, right? Why not be honest about it?"

"Peter," sighed Tanya, sounding a little bit snippy, "I'm sorry but I don't owe you anything at this point. You and Gabe had your little alliance, and I was no part of it. You were gonna vote me off. So why would I tell you anything?"

Ramona sat silently, not saying a word. She was trying her best to look invisible right now, and stay out of the way. Stephanie appeared to be doing the same. It was Tanya's battle to fight now, and she was doing her best.

"I think we should just vote," said Tanya. "Jeff, can we vote already?"

Jeff shook his head, smiling. He was enjoying this.

Peter stared at Tanya again, and she was starting to get uncomfortable. She didn't like that stare. She never had.

"I see what she's doin'," said Peter, more to himself than anyone in particular. "She's tryin' to bait me. She's tryin' to make me angry, and make me vote for her." He grinned. "I'm right, aren't I? She just doesn't want me to force a tie, 'cause she knows she won't get any other votes tonight."

Tanya remained stonefaced, but she was also starting to get a bit nervous. Because Peter was right.

She hadn't been able to fool him at all.

Gabriel watched with fascination from the jury box, his fingers resting under his chin, as his two friends engaged in a battle of wits in front of him. He knew Peter was pretty sharp, and would have figured it out eventually. But he wasn't entirely sure if Peter knew about Tanya and Stephanie yet. So he just watched, unable to say a word.

"I've seen you and Mona," said Peter, "Talking all the time. You guys are awfully giggly on the boat sometimes. Stephanie, that doesn't make you nervous?"

"Not especially," shrugged Steph, although the tone of this council was beginning to rattle her as well. But she had faith. She had faith that Tanya would vote for Ramona tonight.

"But if -I- were Tanya," added Peter, "I'd want to face Steph in the final two. Because Steph doesn't care. So that's what I'd do if I were you, I'd vote out Ramona tonight."

Ramona remained silent, as she fiddled with her violet buff in her hands. She was nervous. Of -course- she was nervous. But she had to have some faith in Tanya. Tanya wouldn't screw her over. No way. Not tonight, not without some sort of warning first.

"So who's it gonna be?" asked Peter. "Ramona or Steph, who's going tonight?"

"Sorry, Peter," said Tanya. "But you're on your own with this one. I'm not tellin' you a thing."

Peter realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. She was a tough little cookie to crack. So he decided to change tactics. And it wasn't out of maliciousness at all, he was just trying to be strategic, and beat Tanya at her own game.

"Well, I'm voting for Tanya tonight," he said. "And if you two want to guarantee yourself a spot in the final three, you'd be wise to do the same."

He glanced at Tanya, and smiled at her. -Beat that-, it was meant to say.

Tanya seethed angrily inwards, as she was suddenly put in the hot seat. She didn't say a word, she tried to look as calm as possible, tried her best to keep a poker face. But suddenly -she- was the one awash in doubt. Could she trust Ramona and Stephanie not to take Peter's deal? Could she really rely on both of them?

"I aint votin' for Tanya," piped up Stephanie, suddenly. "Sorry, Peter, but you're not gonna get three votes. I'm votin' for Ramona."

Stephanie saw Ramona shoot her an angry look.

"So it's you and Tanya?" asked Peter. "You two are in cahoots?"

"Hell no!" spat Steph. "Tanya's a backstabbing little shit. She'll lie to anyone."

Tanya had to suppress a smile. -Thanks, Steph. Thanks a bunch.-

"The more Tanya stays around, the more people hate her," said Steph. "Frankly, she's probably the only one I could beat. So yeah, I want to keep her here. Heck yeah, I do."

Peter looked at Tanya again.

"Sorry, Peter," she said. "I told you I'm not tellin' you. I don't owe you a thing."

Peter sighed.

"I give up, Jeff." He said, throwing up his hands. "Someone's teamed up with Tanya. I thought it was Mona. I -think- it's Mona, but Steph is trying to throw me off. Maybe she's with Tanya, I don't know. But one of 'em is."

At this point, Ramona's wariness finally got the best of her. She couldn't hold back any more, Tanya was starting to make her nervous.

"Tanya, am I going? Are you and Steph voting for me?"

Tanya turned to her friend. And she really didn't have much of a choice. Of -course- she was going to vote for Ramona. That had never been in doubt. But she didn't want Ramona to know that. And she -definitely- didn't want Peter to know that.

"I don't want to say."

"So that's a yes," concluded Ramona.

"I didn't say that," explained Tanya. "Look, if i say yes, then Peter can vote for Stephanie and force a tie. If I say no, he can vote for you and force a tie. No matter what I say, he can vote different just to spite me. Look at it from my end, Mona. I'm kind of stuck here."

Ramona just scowled, and stared at Tanya. She wasn't convinced.

"Just have faith," said Tanya.

But Peter wasn't fooled. He caught that last line and immediately had it all figured out. Ramona was intensely spiritual. That was one of her most internal traits, she was a very, very religious person, although not everyone knew that about her. And Tanya had just passed along a hint. -Have faith, Ramona, you're perfectly safe.-

Tanya and Ramona were speaking in code. And Peter smiled. He had caught them.

"So," asked Jeff, "Anything else to add? Steph, you want to ask anything?"

Steph shook her head, silently. She had faith in Tanya. She knew how Tanya thought.

"Peter?"

"No Jeff," said the tall man. "I'm good. Let's vote."

"Okay," added the host, "I guess that's it then. Ramona, you're up first."

The air was thick with tension as Ramona Gray walked up to the podium. She uncapped the pen, wrote down a name, and held up her ballot.

"Steph," it said.

"You're a great player," said Ramona, "And hard to beat. And the girls should have stuck together to the end, but these things happen. Take care." She paused, and then added an addendum.

"And Tanya, if you're lying to me, I'm gonna kill you."

Stephanie Dill was the second to cast a ballot. She pulled out the pen, wrote down a name, and held up the paper.

"Mona," it said.

"Just too much bad luck," was her only comment.

Peter Harkey was the third to walk up to the podium. He walked up, uncapped his pen, and paused. He knew Ramona and Tanya were together. That was certain in his mind. So that meant Stephanie would get two votes. With Steph voting for Ramona, it was really up to him now. Did he want to force a tie? Would it be petty, like he was doing it just to mess with their plans?

Of course not.

"Ramona," he said, holding up his ballot. "I gotta break you two up somehow. Whether I get you or Tanya out, it doesn't matter. Nothing personal at all, you know I love you. But it's just strategy. I apologize."

Peter didn't care about the tiebreaker. He was immune. He would be perfectly safe. So forcing a tie was a no-brainer.

"And if this doesn't work," he added. "Then congratulations. Cause you and Tanya snookered everybody."

Tanya was the last to walk to the podium. She cast her vote, and then the balloting was complete.

Jeff went to retrieve the ballots, and came back with the ivory box in his hands. The four players sat nervously, watching, and waiting. They were about to see who would be making the final three.

"The person voted out," said Jeff, "Must leave the Tribal Council area immediately."

And with that, he opened the ballot box.

The night sky was quieter than usual as Jeff pulled out the first ballot. He looked at it for a second, paused, and then turned it around.

"Mona," it read.

The chemist slowly nodded, her eyes riveted to the ballot box.

Jeff pulled out the second vote. He paused again, and waited a second before turning it around.

"Ramona."

Ramona dropped her head down. Peter and Stephanie had both voted for her. That meant they would have a tie tonight. A stinking tie. But at least the other two ballots should be for Stephanie. Assuming Tanya was telling the truth, that is.

Jeff pulled out vote number three. He paused again, and then turned it around. And sure enough, Tanya had put the final nail in the coffin. Her handwriting jumped out from the ballot, clear enough for everyone to read.


"Mona."


"Dangit!" said Ramona, loud enough for the jury to hear. She was angry. Furious. That vote told her everything she needed to know about Tanya Vance and the power of her word. Tanya had lied to her, flat out lied, and deceived her right up to the very end. The one person she had finally trusted, finally put some faith in... and it had blown up right in Ramona's face.

She grabbed her torch, scowled, and walked up to the host. Jeff then snuffed her flame out for good.

"Ramona, the tribe has spoken."

With that, Ramona was done. She turned and gave a quick wave to the remaining three, wishing them "good luck." Then she was gone. She walked through the gate, down the dark path, and was ferried away by the dark and mysterious boatman.

The game was down to three.

"I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow," said Jeff, as he looked them over. "Get a good night's sleep tonight, on your own islands. Because tomorrow we have a lot planned for you. You're gonna need your rest."

Gabriel watched Peter's face throughout this whole process. Peter had been horrified. He had no idea he had unwittingly aided Tanya and Stephanie in their plans. He had been completely blindsided by this outcome, and Gabe felt awful for his friend.

Peter had simply been outwitted.

But now Peter knew. Now he knew that Stephanie and Tanya had been working together all along. It all came together in his mind, like a puzzle. The pieces fit. Gabriel could see it in Peter's eyes. He knew. And now, it would just be a matter of Peter's ability to stop them. Could he, or -would- he, do anything to save himself? Was Peter going to let them march into the final two, or did he have any more tricks left up his sleeve?

Only tomorrow would tell.

And Gabe smiled. This was going to be one heck of a final day.

The jurors watched now, as the final three players exited the Tribal Council set.

Tanya Vance, the slippery one. The one who had been lucky to escape this evening still in the game.

Stephanie Dill, the fall guy. The one who would be the easiest opponent in the final two, and she knew it. She knew she would be facing a jury in two days. And against whom... she really didn't care.

And Peter Harkey. The one who had it all figured out now.

The final showdown was ready to begin.

Read Ramona's Final Words!

Continue to Day 38