Survivor: Okinawa
Episode #1
Romeo, Sweet Romeo

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Sato Tribe (green): Matt Carter, Henry Jenkins, Elisabeth Marie, David McDaniel, Lance McHale, Hogan Mueller, Beth Sowles, Amy Twieg
Kamiya Tribe (yellow): Christopher Collins, Murtz Jaffer, Michelle Kin-Fraley, Joni Newman, Ryan Rebez, Mike Ruff, Isabella Smith, Danielle Wheelis





DAY 1



Danielle Wheelis peered over the side of the boat, watching the ocean slide by beneath her.

The young Filipino woman was currently standing on the fishing trawler -Uuminchu-, along with fifteen other players. She stood off to one side, by herself, carefully taking in all that surrounded her. And every so often her eyes would dart around the boat, scanning the competition, looking for potential friends. But they were all strangers here. None of these players had met before. -And maybe-, she told herself, -maybe they're all as nervous as I am right now.-

She smiled, faintly.

Well she could hope, anyway.

The trawler had left the Japanese mainland at 7:00 this morning. One by one, the sixteen players had stepped aboard and taken their seats. Unable to speak to one another, they had been forced to stare out to sea... or stare at their backpacks... or stare at each other. It had been rather uncomfortable, but they knew they were here to play a game. They knew this was their big shot at glory, something they had dreamed of for years. This was their shot at Survivor, and every single one of them was here to play.

Every single one of them was here to -win.-

"Check it out," said a male voice, as the island of Okinawa came into view. No one was sure who said it, but it really didn't matter. Because there it was.

Okinawa.

The site of the bloodiest conflict of World War II.

The birthplace of karate.

Home of fishermen, farmers, tropical storms and dangerous sea creatures.

Okinawa.

The players silently smiled as their bodies surged with excitement. That was it. That was going to be their new home. Just south of Japan, they would be living on that small island for the next thirty-nine days. And as the players suddenly saw their destiny... that is the -exact- moment that the skies opened up.

-CRACK!-

The thunder was so loud it made Danielle clutch at the ship's railing and cry out. Smiling sheepishly, she sat back down on a bench, noting that a few others had also been startled by the unexpected boom from the skies. She noticed that one girl, a dark haired teenager to her left, was staring upwards, eyes wide with fear.

But the rain came now, and the players tried to cover their heads as best they could. Some had brought raincoats, but most had not. Danielle was among the unlucky ones, and she tried to cram herself into a dry corner of the foredeck as best as she could. The only problem was that a few other people -also- had the same idea. She found herself crammed up against a tall blond man, who smiled down at her and nodded. He looked like a model.

The castaways sailed through the rain for nearly an hour, before the ship finally docked up in Okinawa. Most of the players were miserable by now-- it had been pure hell for the last sixty minutes, and they were now soaked to the bone. So when the gangplank was lowered, the players practically -sprinted- down to shore.

"Come on in, guys," said a familiar face from the beach.

And there he was. There was the man himself, the man they would all grow to love... and hate... over the next thirty-nine days.

"Come on down," smiled Jeff. He was standing on shore, but had a large blue windbreaker wrapped around him. A blue plastic hood covered his hair... as requested by the host, of course. Jeff wasn't about to get his hair wet.

Danielle was the first one to reach shore and now stood before him, smiling. She clutched her blue backpack in her hand and her long black hair stuck down her back in wet strands. But she was thrilled to be here, as evident by her huge smiling dimples. Standing barely five feet tall, she beamed up with pride, clearly overjoyed to be playing Survivor. And one by one, the rest of the players filled in behind her.

Now they were all here.

"Welcome," said Jeff, as a few of the players applauded and cheered. "Welcome to Okinawa."



^^



After Jeff made the first introductions, it was decided that the storm was much too powerful right now to do much filming. The rain was simply coming down in buckets, and it was getting out of hand. So Jeff had the castaways move over to a makeshift blue tarp, which had been stretched between two trees. The players huddled up underneath the tarp, and Jeff moved on to his first job of the game: Tribe selection.

"Welcome again," smiled Jeff, "To Okinawa."

He chuckled, as he removed his hood.

"Sorry about the weather, we weren't quite ready for this. But you might as well get used to it. It tends to rain here. A lot."

A few players exchanged smiles as Jeff reached into his pocket. His hand went in and... out came a small white list.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do." He unfolded the list. "One by one, I'm going to call your name. Step forward and I'll hand you your buff. Then you'll either stand to my left, or my right, depending on your tribe. Sound easy enough?"

A few heads nodded, although it was clear that not everyone was paying attention. Some of them were just glancing around at their surroundings. Some were looking up at the thin tarp, nervously. The rain was still hitting down above them, making eerie little pelting noises as it smacked against the blue sheet of plastic.

"First off," said Jeff, "The Sato tribe. You guys will be wearing green."

He nodded, and then read off the first name on the list.

"Beth."

A bespectacled woman smiled and stepped forward. She looked to be about fortyish, a bit stocky, with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. This was Beth Sowles. She clutched a blue backpack in her hand as she walked over to join Jeff. He reached into his pocket and out came a green buff. And like that, the game had officially begun. Beth moved to stand off to the side as Jeff called out the next name on his list.

"Hogan."

A tall, slim, golden-haired teenager stepped forward and let loose a big smile. This was Hogan Mueller, and he was among the most excited to be here. Beaming from ear to ear, the young Eagle Scout walked over to the host. He clutched a backpack across his shoulder and carried a heavy book in his left hand. But the smile never left his face as Jeff tossed him a green buff. Hogan had now officially joined Beth on the Sato tribe.

"Lance."

A tall, athletic-looking man with wavy brown hair stepped forward from the center of the line. He looked very strong and capable, which made sense-- since Lance McHale was quite an accomplished athlete. Football in hand, the young man from San Diego walked up and caught his green buff in midair. With a nod, he went to join his new tribemates on Sato.

"Amy."

A young woman with big blue eyes smiled and stepped forward. This was Amy Twieg, and already she had drawn a few appreciative glances from the young men around her. Wearing a large brown backpack, the single mother from Wisconsin stepped forward, reddish-brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked extremely happy to be here, and promptly placed her green buff atop her head like a pirate.

Four members of Sato were now in place, and Jeff moved on to the fifth name on his list.

"Henry."

A young athletic man with a goatee and thinning spiky hair stepped forward, looking confident. This was Henry Jenkins, writer and charmer extraordinaire. He was in his early twenties, with bold blue eyes, and he carried a thin black case in his right hand. Jeff tossed him a buff and Henry went to join his new tribemates on Sato.

"David."

A large, tough looking man stood up from his seat on the beach. This was David McDaniel, and one look at him told you he meant business. He looked to be in his mid thirties, with short brown hair, broad shoulders, blue eyes and a slightly crooked smile. He also wore two tattoos, a tribal band on his left arm and steer's skull on his right. The guy looked tough. But as he stepped forward, he couldn't help but notice a few snickers coming from behind him. David didn't react, nor did he know why they were laughing, but to some, his luxury item struck them as pompous.

Because David was carrying a large American flag. And he wasn't being shy about showing it off.

"Elisabeth."

The seventh member of Sato turned out to be the youngest in the game. Elisabeth Marie came up to meet Jeff. She was fifteen years old and clearly enamored to be here. She smiled from cheek to cheek as Jeff handed her a brand new green buff. The athletic blonde girl then moved to the side, clutching a large teddy bear in her hands. His name was Papa Bear, and he had been her playmate since childhood. And now he would be joining her on this Okinawan adventure.

Finally, Jeff came to the last name on the list. He looked up as he called out the eighth, and final, member of Sato.

"And last but not least. Our final Sato. Matt."

From the back of the group stood a large red-headed teenager. His name was Matt Carter, and he was a sight to behold. With glasses, freckles, and standing well over six feet tall, Matt walked forward to accept his green buff. But it wasn't so much his size that people noticed. No, what they noticed was the luxury item he carried in his left hand.

It was a hockey mask. And Matt carried it proudly, not noticing some of the snickers it too was generating. But for now, he joined his new team. He was number eight. They were eight. And Sato was now officially a tribe.

"The rest of you," said Jeff, "The other eight. You are the Kamiya tribe. And you will be wearing yellow."

The players nodded and smiled as Jeff started to call out names.

"Ryan."

A young man in an olive green shirt stepped forward. This was Ryan Rebez, and he wore a cocky little smirk as he stepped forward. He also had the bluest eyes most of the players had ever seen, which had already made some of the females start to take notice. But Ryan was here now, holding a folded piece of brown plastic under his arm. No one was sure what it was, but it looked to be some sort of luxury item. Jeff tossed him a yellow buff, and Ryan moved off to the side. He became the first member of Kamiya.

The second name on the list was a bit unfamiliar to Jeff, and he looked up.

But he knew that face.

He knew that woman.

And he knew she wasn't going by her real name this time around.

"Emma."

Isabella Smith smiled at the sound of her new fake name. She had worked this out ahead of time, and was happy to see Jeff was playing along. She had had her doubts, but he had come through when it counted. He had played along. But Emma she was now, and Emma she would be in Okinawa. Isabella happily stepped forward, her newly dyed blonde hair clinging to her scalp. Jeff tossed her a yellow buff and she winked at him. This would be their own little joke. And then she joined Ryan to the side.

"Christopher."

Jeff called out the third name and was met by a tall, thin handsome model. Christopher Collins tucked his blond hair behind his ears as Jeff presented him with a yellow buff. The tall actor wore a tank top, showing off his swimmer's build and a -very- distinct fleur d'lis tattoo on his left arm. And then he joined his new tribemates to the side.

"Danielle."

The fourth member of Kamiya was the petite Asian woman standing in front of the pack. She smiled with pride as she stepped forward and caught a yellow buff in midair. This was Danielle Wheelis, and she was ready to go. She walked to join her new team, long black hair cascading down her back in an impressive stream.

With four Kamiyans down, Jeff moved on to the big man, who was standing off to one side of the group.

"Mike."

The stocky man with a mustache smiled as he walked up to meet the host. And while a few luxury items had drawn chuckles and/or derision, Mike carried with him the most bizarre item of them all. In his two hands he carried a large plastic garden gnome. He carried it up and stood before Jeff now, placing the gnome in the sand. Jeff handed him a buff, and the burly cameraman went over to join his new team, smiling all the way.

"Michelle."

A tall, athletic woman stood up and walked briskly over to Jeff. She appeared to be very direct, as she stood before him and even reached to shake his hand. Jeff was caught off guard, but Michelle Kin-Fraley had that kind of an effect on people. She stood before him now with broad shoulders, strong calf muscles, and a small Mickey Mouse tattoo on her right shoulder. She looked like a force to be reckoned with. She took her yellow buff and went to join the Kamiyas.

Jeff came to the seventh name on the list, and again looked up.

He looked at the dark-skinned man standing in front.

And Jeff gritted his teeth as he was again forced to read off a fake name.

"Dave Roth."

The thin man with the distinctive rimless glasses and the fake name grinned and walked over to meet the host. But his name wasn't really Dave. No, this was Murtz Jaffer, and he had come here to play. He was going to win. He was -so- sure he would win that he had even picked out a fake name for himself-- The name Dave Roth. The -exact- same name Brian Heidik liked to use as his porn pseudonym. That's right, Murtz was going to fool them, and he was going to pay tribute to his idol Brian at the same time. But all that would come in time. For now he grinned as he caught his yellow buff... and went to go make nice with his new teammates.

With that, just one player remained without a team.

Jeff glanced over, and saw a dark-haired teenage girl sitting alone under the tarp. She looked mortified at being called last, but he flashed her a smile.

"And finally... Joni."

The skinny teenage girl laughed now, somewhat embarrassed by it all. But she stood, up, wiping sand off her hands, and came over to accept her buff. Her long brown hair was already beginning to curl in the humidity, but Joni Newman was set to go now. She went over to join her team, talking excitedly with her hands as she introduced herself.

And with that, the two tribes were now set.

It was going to be Sato against Kamiya. Green against yellow. And the games were ready to begin. Jeff watched the teams exchange introductions... and then it was time to start.

"Before you guys go," he said, "Here are your maps."

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two rolled parchments.

"Sato, you guys are heading to the east." He pointed behind him. "It's about a four mile walk, but you'll know the campsite when you see it."

He smiled.

"You'll -DEFINITELY- know it when you see it."

He tossed the map to big, redheaded Matt, who opened it for the rest of the Satos to see.

"Kamiya," added Jeff, "You guys have a shorter walk, only about two miles."

He pointed south, along the beach.

"Just walk along the shore for a bit, but try to stay out of the rain if you can. Just follow the sand and look for the yellow flag, you can't miss it."

He tossed the map to Joni, and the young actress unrolled it to show the rest of the Kamiyas.

"So that's it," smiled Jeff. "Enjoy your hike and welcome to Okinawa."

Both teams cheered, and Jeff smiled at them. He loved their enthusiasm. He loved their zest for the game, as with all new casts. But few players noticed the gleam in his eye... the usual malevolent glee that always danced just behind his dimpled smile.

"I know you guys are gonna love it here."




^^



The rain was still coming down as Sato trudged through the jungle.

"This sucks," said David, holding his backpack over his head. He was trying to keep the rain out of his face, as were most of his teammates. It was simply miserable right now, although David was certainly not alone in his thoughts. Most of his tribemates would agree that it did -indeed- suck at the moment.

Sato had been marching through the jungle for nearly three hours now, and it had already gotten old. The quick joy at being a part of the game was now dissipating... as the cold harsh reality of their situation was beginning to sink in. Quite simply, the eight strangers here were now stuck in the jungle, in a rainstorm, and they didn't have a clue where the hell they were supposed to be going.

"Do you think we'll get food?" asked Amy. The young mother had stopped walking for the time being, and had turned to the man to her left-- the spiky haired, slightly stocky young man she remembered as Henry. "Or do you think we'll have to find it ourselves?"

"They don't give out much food anymore," said Henry. "We'll probably have to fish or something."

"Ahhh," said Amy, slightly dejected. "Shoot."

"Hey, but check this out," said Henry. He suddenly bent down and unlocked his thin black case. He opened it up and Amy was amazed to see a large stick inside. A long, thin, felt-tipped stick. And if you squinted just right... it started to look suspiciously like...

"You're going to play pool out here?"

Henry looked up and saw a teenage boy, smiling at him. It was Hogan, the sixteen year old Eagle Scout, and he looked incredulous at the idea that Henry had brought a pool cue to Okinawa.

"It's not to play pool," insisted Henry, "I brought it as a fishing spear. We can just carve it up and sharpen the end." He held the cue up and examined it. "Probably carve it for an hour or so and we'll have a spear."

"Sweet," said Hogan, nodding. "Good idea." He turned and walked away, looking impressed. And Henry officially had his first fan.

"Hey Henry, can you fish?" asked a voice from the front of the line. It was David, the thirty-six year old web developer from Minnesota. And he was suddenly very interested in what Henry had to say.

"Yeah, I practically grew up on the water. I used to go fishing all the time as a kid." Henry smiled. "Just send me out there and we'll be eating seafood every night. I promise."

The Satos let out a cheer as Henry put away his pool cue. A few of them clapped him on the back, even Lance, the young man whom the tribe had already determined didn't have a whole lot to say.

"Yeah," joked a voice from the back, "But just don't stab any of us while we sleep, okay?"

Henry turned around and saw Matt, the large teenager with the bright red hair. Matt, the kid with the hockey mask. Matt, the one who didn't talk much. Most of the tribe had already determined that the guy was a bit odd. And sure, it was fairly easy to jump to that conclusion... since Matt happened to be wearing the hockey mask as he spoke. He had been wearing the creepy white thing since they had left the beach, and this was the first time he had actually said a word on the hike. So you could forgive the tribe for being more than a little creeped out by the guy.

"Hey, you can talk!" joked Beth, as she nudged Matt in the ribs. "We were a little worried about you!"

"Meh," said Matt, "I don't talk much. I just like to stare."

A few people exchanged glances at this comment, but Matt didn't elaborate. He waited for a moment, sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and then kept walking. The big kid with the red hair was soon a few steps ahead of the tribe, as Beth and Amy exchanged a look.

"Psy-cho," whispered Beth, and Amy agreed, giggling.

"Totally."

"Is he for real?" chirped a small voice from the back. It was Elisabeth, the young blonde girl. She was only fifteen and was already a bit nervous about being around the older tribe members. She clung to her luxury item, a teddy bear, as she stared at the imposing figure of Matt off in the trees.

"I have no clue," said Beth, in as motherly a tone as she could muster. "But I'd sleep with your eyes open for the first few nights."

Elisabeth shuddered-- half serious, half acting. After all, it was her strategy to come off as the helpless sweetheart. She wanted them to think she needed protection, and figured it was never too early to start the act. And sure enough... it worked.

Just as she had planned.

"We'll protect you," said Henry, as he walked over and put his arm around the young girl. "Just stick with the rest of us. Remember, psycho killers only get you if you walk alone. They can't kill you in a group."

"Thanks," she said, quickly noting Henry's chivalrous nature, "I'll remember that. Henry, was it?"

She smiled up him, gratefully.

And the game had officially begun.

With that, the Satos continued their trek to camp. Matt walked ahead, a few steps ahead of the rest, still wearing his trademark hockey mask. David and Lance followed, the two fathers already talking about their children back at home. Amy, Beth and Hogan were clustered together, and in the back were Elisabeth and Henry, already getting to know one another.

This was their tribe.

This was Sato.

And it was only moments later that Matt spotted their campsite. Peering through the jungle, his sharp eyes caught a green flag and a large flash of metal, and he recognized it instantly. Like Jeff had said, they would know it when they saw it.

"It's a big gun!" he said. "Dude, we got a big gun!"

And Matt was right. Perched on the beach was a large metal anti-aircraft gun, left over from World War II. Next to it sat the flag. And this was now their camp. It was still raining, it was still miserable, but all of a sudden things were looking a -whole- lot brighter.

Because Sato had arrived.




^^




As Sato was spotting their flag, the Kamiyas had already been at camp for some time. And unlike their green opponents, the yellow Kamiyas sat in the jungle, not on the beach. Nestled in a cozy tree cover hideaway, the campsite was warm, grassy, humid, and peaceful. Although Kamiya was not pleased at the moment, because they had already discovered the drawback to living in the jungle.

"Roaches!" spat Ryan. "Ugh."

Camp Kamiya was based around an old medical supply tent, left over from World War II. After sixty years, it was little more than three posts and some cloth strips, but the Kamiyas were already trying to make it their home. They had spent their first hour clearing out some of the tall grass surrounding the area... and that is when Ryan made the horrifying discovery.

The ground was teeming with cockroaches. Big ones. Four inch flying cockroaches, to be specific. And they were -everywhere.-

"We're supposed to -sleep- here?" asked Michelle. The fiery-eyed woman from Tennessee was holding a machete as she peered under the tall grass, looking at the moving brown carpet of insects. They appeared to just be crawling along the dirt, doing whatever it is cockroaches do. But every so often one of them would buzz and start flying away, causing the more squeamish members of the tribe to jump.

Because other than Danielle, no one had ever seen a flying cockroach before.

"What are those things?" asked Murtz. The dark skinned young man was carrying some bamboo stalks, having been sent out to get some by Mike. Murtz peered through his rimless glasses, trying to make out one of the flying brown bugs.

"Cockroaches," said Ryan. "Big ones. They're all over the place."

"That aint no cockroach," said Murtz, "It's too big."

"Danielle saw one earlier, I think," said Joni. The teenage girl was perched over some logs, trying her best to start a fire. "She said they have them in Florida. Flying cockroaches. Said they were nasty."

"Well we'll probably be sleeping on them," said Murtz. "Cockroach or whatever. They'll be our bed tonight."

"Urg." sighed Joni. And that was that. She went back to working on her fire, having decided this was the best use of her time right now. After all, no one was really talking to her. They had been here an hour, and no one had really said so much as hi to her. The mood around Kamiya was businesslike, and few pleasantries were really being shared. They had come here and started to work, and Joni was already feeling quite a bit out of place.

"Where is she, anyway?" asked Michelle, as she peered off towards the jungle. "Danielle. I haven't seen her since we got here."

"She took off," said Murtz. "Mike told her and Emma to go find some shrimp. I don't know where Dani went but Emma's right there."

He pointed to the trees, where Isabella crouched down, appearing to look for food. She was sitting -just- far enough away to look like she was gathering... but also -just- close enough to keep an eye on what was happening around camp. Because Isabella, unlike the rest, had played this game before. She knew that most alliances were determined in the first few hours at camp. So she sat, watching, seeing who was huddling up, seeing who was talking. And now she saw Murtz pointing at her.

She smiled, and waved back. And then went right on back to spying.

The morning went on... with the Kamiyas working as a team to get their campsite set up. Unlike their Sato rivals, the Kamiyas were more or less protected from the rain, so they were fairly happy. Their campsite was set in a small valley, surrounded by trees. The bushy green trees acted as an excellent raincover, so they had been free to work all morning. And work they had.

It was clear to all that Mike was the strongest one here. The burly cameraman from New York had already proved to be an excellent builder, and he was hard at work on the new Kamiya shelter. He had been digging holes and chopping wood all morning... as the rest of the tribe looked on in awe. Mike was simply a workhorse, and the big man seemed to be doing the lion's share of the manual labor by himself. There was no question that he was probably going to be the leader. When he told Dani and Isabella to gather food this morning, it wasn't so much a suggestion as it was a command. They deferred to him almost immediately, much as it made Isabella grit her teeth on the inside. She hated being told what to do.

But even so, people liked Mike. He had an easygoing charm about him, and a gentle, sensitive nature. Plus he had the gnome. Who couldn't love a guy with a gnome?

"Hey Mike," asked Christopher, "Michelle and I are gonna go get some water. Wanna come?"

Mike turned around, wiping dirt off of his hands. His hands hadn't been clean since they arrived. He saw the tall blond actor staring at him, with Michelle standing by his side.

"Nah, you guys go," said Mike. "We gotta get this shelter up before dark."

"Please make sure the shelter's off the ground!" called Joni, as she boiled water over by the stove. "I don't want any of the thingyroaches climbing on me tonight!"

"Hey it could be worse, Jones," joked Christopher, already christening her with a nickname. "Mike's gnome could be climbing over you instead."

Joni shot him one of her famous mock glares, her trademark, and then she laughed.

"Ewww," she said.

"Hey, lay off the gnome," said Mike. "Don't make him mad, he's kind of temperamental."

Mike looked over to the side, where his ornamental lawn gnome sat. He had placed the large plastic ornament near the entrance to camp when they arrived, and there it sat. It simply stared... and watched... and waited. And if Mike had any say in the matter, that gnome would be the key to his success out here.

Because the mindgames were just about to begin.

"The gnome can cause all sorts of problems," said Mike, quite seriously, "I'd be careful around him if I were you. He's a mean little gnome. Watch out."

And with that, Kamiya now had their own resident psychopath. Like Matt on Sato, people were already starting to worry about Mike.

"Gotcha," said Christopher, as he clapped Mike on the shoulder. He then rolled his eyes at Joni. "Well big guy, we're heading out. We're gonna find some water and Mich thought she saw an army jeep out there. We're gonna go check it out."

"Good," said Mike, turning back to his work. "Go for it. And see if you can find Danielle and Emma, no one's seen them for a while."

"Gotcha, chief."

As lunch approached, the tribe in yellow was already on its way to building their society. Joni had started the fire, and had already volunteered to cook their first meal. Michelle and Chris were on water duty, Isabella and Murtz were now carrying bamboo, and Mike was in charge of building the shelter. Danielle was supposedly gathering food, but she had not been seen in a while, and people were beginning to worry. It was a big jungle out there, and the small Filipina didn't look particularly jungle-savvy.

And while the rest of the tribe gathered supplies, Ryan was hard at work on the roaches. You see, his task today was roach elimination. He knew that the tribe wouldn't be able to sleep with the roaches around... and he had already dreamed up the most effective way to get rid of them. And it shouldn't be too hard, because if Ryan was one thing, he was efficient. And merciless. And cruel.

All he needed was a lighter... some kerosene... a roach nest... and a very large fireball.

Because once he found the roach nests, they were going to be decimated very, very quickly.



^^



The day wore on, very slowly, as the players all got used to their first twenty-four hours in Okinawa. And as expected, Sato spent most of their morning as a love tribe. The minute they hit their beach, it was all hugs and kisses... all compliments and flowers. Because the minute Sato reached their campsite, it was time for the group dynamics to begun. They didn't bother much worrying about a shelter. No, that thought didn't seem to cross their minds at all. Instead, they started to talk. And talk. And talk.

After all, who needs a shelter when you can start to form cliques?

"Quite an interesting group we have here," said Matt, as he sat down by a tree. The redhead had separated himself from the tribe for the time being, to give the first confessional of the day. He had finally taken off his hockey mask too, finally allowed the tribe to see his face, and now he took a moment to run down the morning's events.

"If you asked me right now if we have alliances, I would say yes. Yes, -that- soon. That seems to be all we have talked about so far, and I think it's going to be a problem. Because already people are taking sides. And we don't even know where we're going to -sleep- yet."

Matt sighed, as he started to comment on his new tribemates. And as always, he started with his favorite. Because he already had a bit of a crush on the young woman from Wisconsin. He would be the first to admit he was already a bit sweet on his tribemate Amy. And with good reason too, since she appeared to be shaping up as a potential leader of the tribe.

"Amy's kind of going for the top dog spot right now, she's trying to say, this is what we should do and how we should do it. And I like her. She knows what she's doing and she's good people. She's also, I must say, quite adorable."

He grinned. Like any teenager, he was already drawn to the females of the tribe. But he could have predicted that, had you asked him. After all, Matt was a psychology student. He knew how group dynamics worked.

"Elisabeth, she's the youngest. And she may be one of the most cutest things I've seen in a long time. She's a sweetie, and she walks around with that big old teddy bear all day."

He laughed, and then moved on to the final female of the team.

"And Beth, well she's a sweet, older lady, the oldest in our tribe, which makes me feel kind of protective. Old people on Survivor need to be protected and saved like a zoo exhibit so we can cuddle them and love them and say, "golly Gosh aren't they wonderful?" Seriously, she's good too. I like all my tribemates."

Matt had been at the center of most of the tribe's activities all morning. The tribe had discovered that the guy behind the mask wasn't actually that bad or strange. He was just a kid who brought along a hockey mask to "psyche out the other team at the challenges." But Matt was -clearly- the best builder here, so he had been nominated to build the shelter pretty much by default. But actually -building- the shelter... well that was a different beast entirely.

The big problem at Sato was that nobody wanted to be the leader. Whereas the tribe all got along and was nothing but smiles on the surface... deep down, these people all knew how the game was played. And they all knew the cardinal rule of Survivor: Leaders get voted out first.

It was a pattern that had been repeated all morning. A player would come up with a good idea, the team would get behind it... and then the potential leader would back down. No one wanted to step up to the plate, though many had tried.

Amy was clearly a potential leader. She was bright, funny and likeable. Matt and Beth simply adored her and she already had ties to everyone in the group. But if anyone asked her to lead, she would clam up almost immediately.

"Sure, I'm good at organizing," she had told Henry, smiling, "But I don't want to be the only go-to person. No way. I'm not stupid. Let someone else step up for it."

And as for Henry, he was also a very strong candidate for leadership as well. He was sharp... very sharp. He had ideas and plans that few others even considered, and he was more than willing to share. But the moment the question of leadership came up, he would defer.

Everyone shied away from the role of leader for the moment. Amy wanted no part of it. Henry wanted no part of it. Matt -certainly- wanted no part of it. David was too quiet for it. And without a leader, the group floundered almost immediately. By mid afternoon, it was clear that they were going nowhere... and fast. Sato did not have a shelter built. They had not gathered any bamboo. They had no food, no prospects for food, nor any -idea- of how to get food. In short, it was around 3:00 when panic started to set in.

Something was going to have to be done.

Someone was going to have to be forced into the role of leadership.

And they quickly found the scapegoat they were going to need.




^^



At age forty-three, Beth Sowles was the oldest person in the game. And she was well aware of this fact, too. She was quite confident that she was going to be very -very- vulnerable at that first vote. The kids here would think nothing of tossing her aside, without a second thought.

In fact, she had already seen the warning signs.

The very first star of the tribe so far had been Amy. It was evident from moment one that the guys all fawned over her. In their morning conversations, Beth's comments and suggestions went largely unnoticed. If Amy said it, it was charming and interesting... and if Beth said it... well, it pretty much just meant that Amy was still charming and interesting. For gosh sakes, Henry was wooing Amy with a love song that morning, while Beth just stood there watching in disbelief.

And now, Beth pretty much knew what her role on the tribe was. She was the woman who wasn't Amy. The other one. The older one. And she couldn't be Elisabeth... -none- of them could take the place of the teddy bear-toting sweetheart of Sato. But Beth wanted to be Amy. She wanted to be the one they all respected... and right now, it just wasn't going to happen.

So from the first moment on, Beth decided to attach herself to Amy. Anyone with half a mind could see the tribe would revolve around Amy Twieg, and all her charming and interesting comments. Because with Amy came suitors, and with suitors came power. And for a scared, left out 43-year old, a little power was sounding like a wonderful thing right now.

So from day one at Sato, Beth would never leave Amy's side. When Amy would be on cooking duty... Beth would be on cooking duty. When Amy went for a walk... Beth would go for a walk. What Amy wanted, Beth would do. She even told people if they asked that it was her job. Her job was to help out Amy, with any task that needed to be done.

"I'm Amy's number one helper person," she had explained to Lance that morning. "We do the cooking together."

So you can imagine the horror she felt when Amy suddenly voted for Beth to be the new leader of Sato.

"No, no, no, no," Beth said to herself, shaking her head. But the die had already been cast. Hogan and Matt had nominated her to be leader... mainly so they wouldn't have to... and the rest of the tribe had helped steamroll the vote through. Everyone jumped aboard the bandwagon as quickly as possible, and Beth didn't have a chance to say no.

"Beth," said Matt, "You've got the years to keep us kids in line. You'd be perfect! People listen to you!"

"You don't need to build or fix anything," suggested Hogan. "Just delegate. We'll do all the work, you just supervise."

"Beth, you'd be awesome!" chirped Elisabeth. "That would be so great!"

Beth watched in silent horror as one by one, the Satos agreed that she was now the decision maker. And when Amy agreed as well, it was all but set. Beth Sowles, who had not an ounce of self confidence in her survival skills, was now being counted on to lead Sato to glory. She was too nice... or too polite... to say no, so now it was settled. Beth was the leader.

And she felt like she wanted to go throw up.



^^



As Sato struggled to elect a leader, Kamiya had no such problem. Kamiya was a machine from day one, with Mike at the helm. But Kamiya faced a far -different- problem than Sato early on. Lack of leadership was not an issue. No, the problem was that Kamiya had some hardcore players on their team... and they weren't going to sit around and wait for the game to come to them.

As expected, Kamiya had a final four alliance in place less than ten minutes into the game.

It all started when they got to camp.

Upon arrival, Mike had immediately started to delegate orders. He knew what needed to be done, and he knew who should be doing it. And in less than ten minutes, the four women of the tribe had been sent off to gather some supplies. Isabella, Danielle, Joni and Michelle were all away from camp when the fateful alliance came together.

"I got an idea," joked Murtz. "Let's just vote out the girls."

He was only half-kidding, of course, because this had been his plan all along. Find an alliance on day one, put four people together, and stick with it for the whole thirty-nine days. And since it was the four men of Kamiya, it made natural sense. If they stuck together, they would be unstoppable.

Mike continued working on the shelter as Murtz spoke. But Murtz found two -very- eager ears in Ryan and Christopher. They said yes almost immediately... and Mike was soon to follow. And less then ten minutes into the game... Kamiya now had its first alliance. The men of Kamiya were going to steamroll this game to the end.

"Sweet, bro," said Murtz, as he happily went back to his work. He thought he was set. But he didn't count on three things that were going to stand in his way very quickly.

Number one, Murtz wasn't the only -player- on this tribe. Much as he liked to think so.

Number two, Isabella had seen the four men together from her vantage point in the forest. And she knew -exactly- what was up.

And number three... Christopher was gay. No one knew this yet, as he had not told a soul. And being gay, Christopher wanted -no- part of a chauvanistic all-male alliance. Females were his favorite people on the earth... and Murtz's plan made him sick to his stomach. So Chris's new plan was to go to tell all this to Michelle.

And Michelle was going to be pissed.

And the first alliance in Okinawa was about to become the first alliance taken -down- in Okinawa.




^^



Nighttime.

Both Sato and Kamiya settled in for their first night in a strange land.

And both tribes were already plagued by troubles.

At Sato, Beth's leadership had fallen apart almost immediately. She had no confidence in her choices and most of them were overridden, anyway. It was clear to everyone that she was little more than a figurehead-- a leader in name only. She was nice enough and smart enough, but people just didn't listen to her. They all had their own agendas. So as nighttime approached, Sato had no shelter, no food, a minimal fire and very little to protect them against the elements.

The tribe had spent most of the afternoon trying to break down into an alliance. But unlike Kamiya, Sato didn't have any hardcore players here... yet. They tried their best, but it was clear they would need some work on the scheming end if they were going to do this correctly. Because much like their shelter... very soon their "love tribe" was about to be nonexistent. All it took was a little miscommunication and things would soon fall apart by tomorrow morning.

The main two behind the alliance talk had been Henry and Matt. The two young men were the most eager to get an alliance together, and they both recognized themselves as hardcore strategists of this game. So naturally, they both wanted to be in. And both recognizing that the other was a threat, they naturally wanted to be together. Keep your enemies close, as the saying goes. So Matt and Henry were the foundation of the Sato alliance.

Amy had to be included. That was a no brainer. Amy was the heart of the team.

Beth had to be included. No one feared her much, and they all saw her as a patsy anyway. She would be just happy to be included. Besides, Matt kind of liked having her around.

But to be a true alliance, both Henry and Matt agreed they would need a fifth. They needed that extra vote to prevent any sort of tie. So they had run down their options, over and over again. They had stood out in the rain for nearly an hour this afternoon, just debating their fifth alliance member. They had gone over the options as many times as was humanly possible.

Lance? No, that wasn't going to happen. He had already rubbed a few of his teammates the wrong way. True, he loved his team. He -loved- this tribe. But other than that, they didn't know a whole lot about him. The Satos were finding out very quickly that Lance McHale was a hard man to know, and they weren't sure what to make of him yet.

"I don't know why," Matt had commented, "But I get a bad vibe from the guy. He looks strong, but isn't really. He likes to do his own thing and he pushes hard for what -he- wants to get done. Other than that... I just get a funky vibe off of him."

"I get the sense he doesn't care much for alliances," added Henry. "I think he looks down on them, and it makes me wary."

Hogan? Not a chance. The young Eagle Scout was already being written off as the first boot. And sure, he was big and strong, but the kid simply wasn't fitting in very well. Besides, he had already annoyed Amy and Beth by referring to them as "babes" and "chicks" in several conversations. The kid simply had a lot to learn about fitting in with women before Amy and Beth would have anything to do with him.

"Hogan's kind of a dim bulb," Matt had assessed, "He's a definite follower, or maybe someone trying desperately to look like a follower so the rest get in the way and make asses of themselves. But either way, we don't want him."

And David was eliminated simply for the fact that no one really knew him yet. He had brought a flag and volunteered it for a shelter roof, but other than that, no one seemed to know much about the guy. So far, he seemed to be a mystery. He just sat back and watched a lot.

No, for the fifth member of the Sato alliance, both Matt and Henry agreed it had to be Elisabeth. She was going to be the key to the whole thing. Bring in the sweetheart... and they would be set. The fifteen year old would be the key to everything. And besides that, everybody already loved the girl. She was as sweet as sweet could be.

"Elisabeth," commented Henry, "Is probably the best leader we could have. She's organized and no one's -ever- gonna make her the goat for it. She could go a long way. Plus she's smarter than her years would signal. I could tell that just talking movies with her."

"Yeah," nodded Matt, agreeing completely.

"Seriously," said Henry. "I want her on my side. I like her a lot. I respect her. She's good. We need to bring her over."

And with that, it was set. As Sato went to bed for the evening, those in power had it all under control. Sure, they didn't have much of a shelter... and sure, they were going to freeze tonight. But strategically, the five person alliance was about to be in place. Henry-Beth-Amy-Matt was going to be unstoppable, once they had Elisabeth on board as a fifth.

It was going to be beautiful.

It was going to be destiny.

But there was one thing they didn't consider. There was one thing that Henry and Matt had not planned for, and it was going to catch them both off guard. They hadn't planned for the fact that, tomorrow morning, Elisabeth was going to say no.

And then all hell was going to break loose.



^^



Kamiya settled into their own slumber for the night, sleeping happily in Mike's new shelter. It was a restful evening, as this was a happy tribe. Murtz didn't yet know that Christopher had sold out his alliance, and everyone appeared to be on good terms for now. On the surface, this was a supertribe. They were confident, cocky, happy, and in good shape. As day one came to a close, Kamiya was simply winning the game.

But before they drifted off for the evening, the tribe spent most of the evening sitting around the campfire, bonding. Per Michelle's idea, they had had a bonding session, where they all really -met- each other for the first time.

Their first order of business was to name Mike's gnome. The creepy little guy still stood by the entrance to camp, but the fact that he was nameless bothered some of them. So after a lengthy discussion, it was decided that he would be named "Mario." From this moment hence, the ninth member of Kamiya would be Mario the gnome. And that made Mike happy.

The second order of business was to name Ryan's luxury item. The odd brown piece of plastic he carried with him to camp had turned out to be an inflatable punching bag. A -Barney Rubble- punching bag, to be more exact. And while it had raised eyebrows among some, Ryan had clearly been thinking when he chose to bring it. He brought Barney Rubble along for three reasons: To provide entertainment, as a possible flotation device, and... most importantly... as a bonding tool. Because it was Ryan's plan that Kamiya could beat the stuffing out of the poor thing before each challenge. They would get out their aggression together. They would do it as a team.

And it would be a lot of fun.

"We should call the punching bag Sato," suggested Christopher. He was currently sitting around the campfire, along with the rest of the tribe. "So then we can beat Sato twice. One before, and once during the challenge."

The Kamiyas laughed, and it was agreed. And Ryan simply sat back, smiling. Like Mike, his luxury item strategy was working exactly as expected.

The rest of the evening was spent in reflective conversation, as the scheming Kamiyas took a moment to actually enjoy their experience out here, and get to know one another as people. One by one, they went around in a circle, saying a little something about themselves. Sharing a little bit of who they were-- or who they -claimed- to be, anyway.

Christopher explained how he became an actor, and how he had formed his own theatre company in his hometown. He still hadn't come out of the closet to most of them-- especially the guys. The only one who knew so far was Michelle, his sharp-tongued new best friend. And as far as Christopher was concerned, none of guys would -ever- know.

Joni shared some of her life story, especially some of her experiences as a stage actor. She still felt a little out of place here, being so young and all, but Christopher's tales of the stage had inspired her to start talking. She noticed him smiling at her as she spoke, almost reassuring her. And she had already started to develop a kinship with her fellow thespian from Santa Cruz... the one who called her "Jones." He seemed to be the only one who would talk to her on a personal level. And she loved him for that.

When it came to Michelle, she spoke of her experiences as a college athlete. She was a former basketball star, with the intensity and competitiveness to match. She didn't share a whole lot about herself yet... she didn't quite trust them all to know. And she -especially- didn't tell them that she was married. Per Christopher's advice, she was withholding that bit of information from the rest of the tribe. For now. She wanted to keep her options open, just in case.

Mike was fourth, and he shared a bit about his life as a news cameraman. He was a "media vulture," as some liked to call it, but he was happy with his life. He was a big man, and already prone to moodiness. But for the most part, Mike was exactly as he appeared. You knew what you would get with him. Well, except for the fact that, like Christopher, Mike was -also- gay. But nobody needed to know that yet. Like Christopher, he would play that card when it was time.

Ryan spoke fifth, and he didn't give a whole lot of himself away for now. He simply mentioned that he was an insurance broker... and he was from the north. He joked around with the group, and smiled and laughed when appropriate... but for now Ryan was more interested in watching.

Isabella was sixth, as the attention now focused on the quiet woman who claimed to be from Georgia. And the players looked at her, anxiously, as the newly-blonde woman smiled at them all. She knew this would have to be good. But luckily, she -was- good, and her well-practiced Southern accent flowed out of her mouth without much effort at all.

"I don't really feel like I belong to be here. I'm not interesting like most of y'all." She laughed and covered her face with her hand, almost embarrassed. "My name's Emma and I live in Georgia. I work in a coffee shop. And..." she shrugged. "I have a dog named Ginger. That's about it. I wish I had more to say."

A few people asked her questions and Isabella answered, being careful not to give specifics that she would have to remember later. But for now, they all seemed to buy it. The only one who seemed to be looking at her strangely was Ryan Rebez. He stared at her with a small, crooked smile on his face. He seemed to know something was up, and it made Isabella nervous. Ryan already made her -very- nervous.

Danielle was the seventh to speak, and the young Asian woman smiled as it came to her turn. She had been away for most of the day, doing God knows what in the jungle, so few people had really met her. And she didn't know it yet... but she had already been pegged as the first casualty in Kamiya. Murtz's "men's alliance" had already written her off as dead meat, simply because she was female and hadn't been around much.

"It's great to be here," said Danielle, as happy and perky as she could muster. "But I can't say I like that gnome much."

And with that, Danielle buried any chance she had of ever fitting in with the Kamiyas. Because she started in on a gnome rant, as the rest of the tribe looked on in fascinated bemusement.

"I never liked them. Their pointy hats, red cheeks, and their eyes... Always staring..." She sighed. "My neighbor used to have them in his yard. They perpetually stared right into my bedroom window. Just staring. Every time I got into bed. Used to draw the windows just to stop 'em from staring."

"Yeah," said Ryan. "I can see how they would be scary. Then what happened?" He seemed so earnest that she didn't realize he was making fun of her. He was simply baiting her to keep going, as Murtz started giggling off to the side. Murtz already loved Ryan's sadistic sense of humor.

"Eventually I moved the bed away from the window," finished Danielle. But the damage had been done. After the "gnome conversation," her credibility had officially been ruined. She moved on to more traditional topics, but Ryan would continue to steer the direction back towards her fear of gnomes. It was evident that he was toying with her... although she didn't seem to realize that yet. Danielle had no idea that they were laughing at her behind her back.

And finally, the conversation turned to Murtz. The eighth and final member of Kamiya. This was going to be his big moment. This was money time, the moment where he could finally put his strategy into play. He had been waiting a long time for this chance... and the charade was about to begin.

"I'm a teacher, and I live at home with my mom. I help take care of her, because she's kind of sick right now."

The rest of the tribe nodded, understanding. No one said much. And then Murtz went in for the kill.

"I didn't want to tell you guys cause you would think I was a pussy or something. But yeah, that's pretty much my life right now. That's why I haven't shown anybody my luxury item yet." He smiled. "Because I know a few of you have asked what I brought."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small framed picture.

"This is my mom. I keep her with me to remind me of my life back home." He started to break up a little, trying his best to sell the emotion. "She wanted me to come out here and do well, because this was my dream. She knew how important this was to me. I felt bad leaving her alone, but she told me to do it for her, so here I am."

He smiled now, looking embarrassed. And as he expected, they bought it. No one said much, but he could see in their eyes that they bought it. Isabella in particular looked touched, he could see it all over her face. But she didn't know that this was simply a picture Murtz had bought on the way to the airport. No one knew that. Hell, Murtz didn't even know the lady's -name-. The picture was little more than a prop.

And as Murtz sat down, a somber mood came over the tribe. It was time for bed... but nobody really wanted to go to sleep yet. Murtz's story hung in the air thickly, like a blanket.

"Hey guys," said Michelle, trying to change the subject. "What do you think of the other tribe?"

A few people laughed. As expected, Kamiya already made fun of the Satos. A lot. And the main focus of their mockery was Matt, and his hockey mask. They mocked poor Matt almost mercilessly, from morning to night. As a group, they had already decided that Matt had to go. The big redhead in the hockey mask would be their target from here on out. They already hated him.

"And what about that guy with the flag?" asked Christopher. He was speaking about David McDaniel, who had brought along a large American flag as his luxury item. Like Matt, they all hated David as well.

"Oh man," agreed Murtz. "I cringed!"

"It just screamed 'pretentious,'" said Ryan. "What an ass."

So it was decided there and then that Matt and David were officially enemies of Kamiya. After all, this was the superior tribe. This was Kamiya, and they could not be stopped. They were smart, they were cunning, and they were the better team.

"I think that's how we were divided," suggested Murtz. "We're the fun team. They're the boring ones."

"We're the tribe who doesn't suck ass." smiled Christopher, and this was met with a murmur of assent. And with that, it was officially time for bed. One by one, the eight members turned in for the night. One by one, they said their goodnights.

The last one to speak was Isabella, who commented in her new southern belle accent.

"Good night guys. Don't let the thingyroaches bite."







DAY 2





Elisabeth Marie was walking along the shore of Sato beach.

The teenager was strolling happily along the sand, whistling a tune to herself. She was having a great time out here so far. Yesterday had been one of the best days of her life. She had arrived in Okinawa, met so many great people and had a blast setting up camp... or what passed for the Sato camp, anyway. And luckily, it had been -much- easier to fit in than she had expected. Because like Beth, Elisabeth had been -terrified- that she wouldn't fit in with the rest of the tribe.

She liked to put on a brave front and liked to think of herself as tough and capable... but deep down, Elisabeth was still only fifteen years old. And she had been scared to death that the older players would toss her aside when she got here.

But after her first twenty-four hours on the island, Elisabeth was sitting pretty. She had been accepted by most everyone, and it had eased her fears considerably. And as of this morning, she had three members of her tribe whom she considered to be friends. Close friends.

The first was Matt, the tall redhead. He was funny and made her laugh, in his own self-conscious awkward way.

The second was Henry, the benevolent fisherman of the tribe. He was always around for a kind word, and was almost paternal to her in many ways. Plus he knew so much, and was always around to give advice. Henry was a good friend.

But of them all, Elisabeth's best friend was Lance. Lance, the quiet pre-school teacher who few people seemed to know very well. He just didn't seem to have much to say... well to the -rest- of them, anyway. But not to Elisabeth. Just one day in to the game and Elisabeth already -adored- her older teammate from San Diego. They had clicked on so many levels, right off the bat. They had talked about sports endlessly, and he had impressed her with his knowledge of her local Detroit teams. Simply put, Lance and Elisabeth could talk for hours and hours, and he was her best friend in the game.

"When I came into this game," said Elisabeth, as she now sat down on a rock, "I knew the first thing I had to do was attach myself to someone that was going to be loyal and genuine. I wanted to align with people who would be my friends, that no matter what happens I would have -their- back and they would have mine." She smiled now. "And just talking to Lance, it was like I was at home! We have -so- much in common. We both love the same music. Plus he's a preschool teacher and I want to be an elementary teacher. It was just amazing how much we had in common, and I could just sense that Lance was someone that I would want on my side."

And after some very friendly chats, Lance and Elisabeth had more or less made it official. He would be her big brother... and she would be his little sister. The Sports Guy and the Soccer Girl. They were now officially a team.

"And we're gonna stick together to the end," she had told him. "You and me."

"Absolutely," Lance had agreed. "I have no intention to vote you out, Elisabeth. Sato needs you. You're the best we've got. I'll never write your name down. You have my word on it."

So Elisabeth was floating on cloud nine this morning. She continued to reminisce about all three of her friends, already planning the machinations of a potential alliance here. She had it all planned out, and talked about it freely for the cameras.

"And after making my deal with Lance I started to get to know Henry. Now, he's just everything I am and -more.- He's funny, he's smart, he knows what's going on, and he's strong. That, to me, is an ideal alliance partner. And then throw in Matt, and I'm finding that I'm bonding more so with the men than with the women. I just love them all." She smiled. "They're my Three Stooges. We have Matt who's the funny one, Lance who's the kind and intelligent one, and Henry who's just goofy. I love them all, I really do. I just couldn't ever imagine turning on my Stooges, ever."

So Elisabeth was feeling quite confident in her position in the tribe at the moment. She was well liked, she was funny and she was popular. Tonight she was even planning a Harii ceremony, a traditional Okinawa celebration, for the rest of the tribe. But best of all, and most importantly... Elisabeth was a star in the challenges. The young soccer player was probably the best athlete in Okinawa, and her tribe would be soon finding that out. Once they saw her shine on the athletic field, she wouldn't be going -anywhere-.

But what Elisabeth did -not- plan for was inter-tribal politics.

And her world was about to come crashing down in a hurry.

She saw Henry now walking down the beach towards her. He carried in his hand a pair of oranges, and he tossed one to her. She thanked him and watched as the young man sat down next to her. And without so much as a hello, he launched right into his pitch.

"You ready to talk strategy, Lis? Cause I have a deal you can't possibly refuse."

"You bet!" she said. She turned to face him, as she hungrily peeled open her orange.

"Okay," said Henry. "Here's the deal. Matt and I are putting together an alliance. Five of us. We talked about it yesterday and we both want you in. It's gonna be me, you, Beth, Amy and Matt." He smiled at her. "Final five, there you go."

But Elisabeth wasn't smiling back. She heard his words, true, but she had also picked out the three names that were missing from the list. It was quite evident which three people were not invited. Hogan and David were missing from the alliance, that much was no surprise. Hogan simply didn't fit in much and David was just so quiet.

But Lance was also not included. Her best friend Lance. And for Elisabeth, that was going to be a problem.

"I can't do it," she said. "Sorry, Henry."

"What?" Henry looked stunned.

"What about Lance?" she asked. "Can we include him? I'd really prefer if he was in it too."

"I'm sorry," said Henry, shaking his head. "These are the five. They don't want Lance in. Matt says he gives off a weird vibe and Amy and Beth agree. They don't trust him yet."

"Well I can't do that to him," she said. She wasn't ready for this conversation right now. Five minutes ago, she was floating on cloud nine. Now she was being asked to turn against her best friend. On day -TWO!- "Lance is my best friend, Henry. I told him I would be with him and I stick by my friends. I'm not gonna join up with an alliance simply because that's the safe place to be. I'm not like that."

Henry nodded, thinking it over in his head.

"So I have to say no, Henry. I'm sorry. Besides, I'm not even that close to Beth or Amy. I hardly know Amy at all! So unless you can get Lance in, I'd rather do it on my own. Heck, you could come with me if you want." She smiled at him. "After all, you're my friend too. I want all my friends on my side."

"Lemme go talk to Matt," said Henry. His mind was already whirring with the potential problems this could lead to. No one had expected Elisabeth to say no. -Henry- certainly hadn't expected her to say no. And now, this could get sticky.

"Hang on," he said. "I'll be right back."




^^




As Henry expected, Elisabeth's refusal sent the alliance plans into a tailspin. The moment Sato heard she wasn't interested, alternative plans were formed immediately.

"David," suggested Amy. "David can take her place."

"Yeah," nodded Beth, silently seconding Amy's idea.

And with that, David suddenly became an integral member of the Satos. Elisabeth had just been replaced.

David McDaniel was one of the more interesting players in Okinawa. Just looking at him you could see he was a big, tough strong guy. Very street-wise, very savvy, very intelligent, David just oozed confidence out here. And while some saw him as aloof and anti-social, a wise person would see that for what it really was: quiet confidence. David was flat out confident. He knew this game inside and out and had a strategic mind that was nearly unmatched. Simply put, David was one of the best players in the game. And he knew that the Satos would come to him for an alliance. He just -knew- it. He had made no attempt to form anything on his own, because he knew that was suicide. No, he was waiting for a moment just like this. And when Amy and Henry came running to him, he was more than ready to say yes.

And with that, David became the fifth member of the alliance.

"It's funny," he said, as he sat down for a lunchtime confessional. "I didn't really expect the alliance building to start so soon. I figured there would be time to get a good read on everyone and just work as a team. I was hoping it would all settle down and we could smile past it and be a tight team. But.... well..."

He laughed.

"Welcome to Sato. Camp Panic Attack. Everything has to be done -right now- and all decisions are made on the spot. So the name of the game is... you have to roll with it. And roll with it I am. So far, it's all pretty much going according to plan."

He smiled, but he already had some harsh words for one member of his alliance. One member of the group struck him as dangerous, and he wasted no time in pointing it out.

"I've connected with Henry somewhat, but he's a bit overanxious for my tastes. He really was the person that started the alliance issue, so you know he's going to be playing scared. And right now his quest seems to be to make sure the target is painted on someone else instead of him." He grinned. "It's a good goal, one I work toward myself, but he's just trying to grab land too quickly. So to deal with Henry you just have to fade back and let him take the limelight. Let him think he's calling the shots, because that's all he wants. But you just know he's gonna get himself in trouble. He uses too many sexual innuendos and has this anxious obsession with having everyone on his side. He'll put the rope around his own neck. Just watch."

And with cool customer David on board, the Sato five were strong. This was a formidable group. And all things -should- have been perfect for now. They had five people, they had the majority, and they knew how to play the game.

But sometimes fate just wasn't on Sato's side.

Because as David had predicted, Henry wasn't secure with the five people he had on board. Henry wanted six. Henry had been touched by Elisabeth's plea... and like the young girl, he -also- didn't want to send his friends out into the cold.

Henry was about to make a plea to bring Elisabeth on board.

And with Elisabeth would come Lance.

And the alliance was going to have none of that -at all-.




^^




As Sato continued to run itself into the ground, Kamiya was still working as a smoothly oiled machine. In particular, the big three of Mike-Ryan-Murtz thought they had the game under control. And they were not shy about it, either.

"Kamiya seems like a great tribe so far," said Mike, as he gave a morning confessional. "And I couldn't be happier. I think we got the better end of the deal as far as teams go. We seem to have five physically strong players, Michelle and the four guys. We also seem to have the more mature team-- even the young 20-somethings like Ryan and Emma are on the ball."

He smiled, and then went on to the makings of his new alliance.

"Best of all, I seem to be fitting in right where I wanted to be. Maybe I'm sticking my neck out a little too far, but it seems to be working. As for alliances, everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to make the first move yesterday. So okay, sure I'll bite." He started counting names off on his fingers. "My first ally was Ryan. Afraid to mention the "A" word, all it took was a mention that we stick together and he was like a fish jumping right into my boat." He then moved on to Murtz, who he (and the rest of the tribe) still knew as Dave Roth. "Next ally, Dave. Again, the fish just hopped into the boat. Started talking about the Cubs, and originally being from Chicago, and ta da-- instant bond. So I had two alliances even before we started on the shelter. Maybe I'm a fool, but I like these guys and I plan to ride this out with them. Then again, it's only day two, so who knows."

But Mike's proudest accomplishment thus far was his "gnome strategy." He was ecstatic to see the way it had been working out so far. And he hadn't even needed to -do- much!

"I was -so- looking forward to putting the Gnome strategy into play... but it looks like I won't even need it. Mario, as they named him, is already a hit. The girls love the little buff I made for him, and he's already treated as part of the family. That was the main part of the plan-- to deflect attention away from me and make everyone love the gnome. After all, you can't very well vote off the owner of the gnome!" He chuckled. "So I've decided to back off for now from making him "creepy," since having him popular is working great. They all love him."

And this was true. So far, Mario the gnome was proving to be one of the highlights of camp. The girls really -did- love him, and they helped Mike keep his little buff clean and talked to him as if he were a real player. Mike's strategy was proving to be a hit.

But as Mike thought he was the brains of his alliance, Murtz Jaffer was different. Murtz didn't just think he called the shots. No, Murtz -knew- he called the shots. And better yet, no one seemed to suspect his "dying mother" story. Yes, Murtz was already planning his endgame strategy. And he was very, -very- cocky.

"I love the fact that I was approached for an alliance by Mike," he laughed, thinking about the big man's not-subtle way of talking about it. "Mike to me seems like a big dumb ogre and I'm just using my Chicago ties to reel him in. Sometimes I wonder who is pulling the strings of that whole operation... him or Mario the gnome. In any event they are nice pawns."

He laughed now, clearly showing his contempt for the fellow members of Kamiya. The only three he really talked about were his alliance members. It was as if the rest didn't even exist in his mind.

"Ryan on the other hand is difficult to read. I can tell he is a player. I initially thought he was a threat, but once I realized that he was also using Mike I figured I should tag along. I want to keep an eye on him."

And now, after some prodding from a producer, Murtz started to comment on the rest of his tribe. And as expected, he wasn't particularly complimentary.

"Everyone thinks that Danielle and Emma are the first targets since they haven't bonded with the lambs that well. And I still think I'm pulling the strings, so maybe if they look cute I'll decide to prolong their stay of execution. Or at least I'll keep Danielle around. She amuses me, because she's fucking -insane-."

As expected, Danielle's comments around the campfire last night were already the stuff of legend. Already she was conversation topic number one around Kamiya, with the men in particular taking every chance they could to make fun of their slightly eccentric teammate. It seemed that anything Danielle said or did, she would be mocked. Perhaps it was the way she phrased things... or perhaps Kamiya just wanted a scapegoat... but in any case every new phrase she came up with was mocked as if it were a sport.

On the evening of day one, Danielle was commenting on the fact that fruit could be filled with bugs. And she used the unfortunate phrase "Fruit can be scary."

On the morning of day two she made a joke that gnomes were always male and were thereby sexist.

And on the evening of day two she used her luxury item, a pea flute, to serenade the tribe in a concert.

And from this point on, everything Danielle said or did was made fun of. The tribe was downright vicious to her, with Ryan christening her the "band camp girl" right to her face. And for the most part, Danielle was unaware of her standing in the tribe. She was still blissfully happy with her new team, which was probably for the better. And she sat down to give a confessional just before dinner on day two, singing the praises of the team that didn't seem to want her around.

"All the players on the tribe I’ve met so far seem really nice." She smiled, her trademark dimples shining through as usual. If nothing else, she always had a smile on her face, you could definitely say that about Danielle Wheelis. "The people on Kamiya are all totally gung-ho about getting the camp all fixed up. And fortunately, we have some MacGyver types here. They’ve already started splitting bamboo stalks in half to use as shovels, and they’ve taken the buckle off my sandals and are going to use it as a fish hook. I’ll need to tie my sandals together with twine or something, but I suppose it’s worth the sacrifice."

She laughed.

"We have some pretty unusual luxury items here at camp. Play-doh, a bobo doll, a gnome... I don’t like gnomes! Freaky little things, always staring at you with those cold eyes, like they know everything about you. I’ve never really liked dolls much either. I don’t know. I guess eyes in general just freak me out: things that stare at me just make me uncomfortable."

She shuddered now.

"Tonight we're supposed to play a bit of Truth or Dare; it should be a great way to break the ice and get to know each other. But so far it has been great. We have nice, fun people, a good camp, hard work ethics... I don’t see how the other tribe could be any better off than we are!"

She smiled, completely unaware of her impending fate. For all she knew, she was perfectly safe.

But there was a lot that Danielle was unaware of.

There was a lot that Kamiya was unaware of.

Because things were not as they seemed. And Christopher was about to change the whole structure of the tribe in one simple conversation.




^^




"He called you a stupid bitch."

Those were the six words he used, and those were the six words that did it. Because the moment Christopher said these words to Michelle, she snapped.

"He called me -what??-" She glared in anger.

"I swear he said it," said Christopher, as he put a hand on her shoulder. "On day one, Dave Roth was talking about the girls on the tribe and how they were all idiots. He called them sheep. And you in particular he called a stupid bitch. He says he can't -stand- you."

Michelle's face reddened. She was -furious-.

"He said it more than once, Mich. I'm sorry. I feel awful telling you but I didn't like the way he said it. I don't like the way he plays. Or -any- of the guys. They're all pigs."

Christopher smiled as he relayed this last bit of info. Sure, it was -true- that the guys had an alliance. But as far as he knew, none of them really trashed the girls yet. Well, except for Danielle... but everyone did that. Christopher and Michelle had even made fun of her just a few minutes ago, with Christopher calling her "basically retarded." But Murtz had never said anything bad about Michelle.

He had never called her a "stupid bitch."

Christopher just made it up.

And thus the great strategy of Christopher Collins was put on display. Because he, like any actor alive, could sell a part. Christopher specialized in disinformation. He excelled at slandering people and ruining their good name. And from this moment on, Michelle wanted Murtz -dead.-

"That is totally uncalled for!" fumed Michelle. "He's never even met me. Who is he to start bashing me? Who the hell does he think he is?"

"I'm so sorry, Mich," said Christopher, as he bent to give her a hug. "The guys kind of trapped me in alliance talk today. I was so scared, they're just mean! They are so cocky and I hate it! I just want to vote them out!"

"Well let's do it," said Michelle. The old basketball player in her was coming out, as her eyes glowed nearly red with determination now. She had that fire in her eyes and a machete in her hand. You wouldn't want to cross her at the moment.

Christopher and Michelle had been the closest pair on Kamiya since the start. They had ducked away for water runs every few hours and spent more than their fair share of time talking and gossiping like naughty school children. Simply put, they were the fun duo of Okinawa. The wild children. Or as Christopher liked to put it, "The Naughty Hotties."

"Because we look good," he had explained, smiling, "And we act bad."

And the moment that Murtz and Mike formed their "all male" alliance on day one, Christopher had been planning to take them down... and take them down hard. How -dare- they try to vote out his lady friends. What kind of balls did they think they had?

Christopher loved Michelle. She was his evil twin, his partner in crime. She was the yin to his yang. The two of them were going to be inseparable.

Christopher loved Joni. The little Mormon who could was his kid sister, and a fellow thespian. And he was not the first to pick up that she had a -lot- more on the ball than people realized. Joni was a child in age only. In conversation, she was often among the most mature members of the tribe. In short, Christopher simply adored her.

And the final member of Christopher's proposed alliance was Isabella. Or Emma, as he knew her. Emma, to most of the members of Kamiya, was a cypher. She was a riddle. She seemed very friendly. She seemed very Southern. And she seemed very sweet. But other than that, no one seemed to know a whole lot about her. She just seemed to be -there-, hanging around camp, gathering food, happily exchanging small talk with everyone. She was just the blonde girl with the accent, that's basically all they knew about her. And she seemed a bit slow.

But as far as Christopher and Michelle knew, Emma had no ties to anyone. The guys had essentially written her off, with Murtz going so far as to say Emma was the first one gone if Danielle kept saying funny things.

So at this moment, Christopher's plan was now set in stone.

"Mich," he said, "I don't want the guys to win this game. I just don't like them." He now tried to turn on the waterworks. "Fucking boys club. Why do they have to play like that? Why did they have to turn it nasty so quickly?"

He was putting on quite a show, but he really didn't need to. Michelle was sold. As in the movie Jerry Maguire, Christopher more or less had her at hello.

"Let's do it," she said. "You and me. We take them down."

"I'm totally serious," he said. "Naughty Hotties, Mich. We can do this. I'm not gonna screw you."

"No way," said Mich. "No way am I losing to Dave fricking Roth."

Christopher's heart lept, and he knew he had done it.

"Can you get Joni on board?" asked Michelle.

"Jones won't be a problem. She hates the guys. Mike hasn't even said a word to her in two days. She's ready to smack him. She would join us in a second."

"What about Emma?" Michelle looked concerned. Emma was going to be the key wildcard in this.

"I think so," said Christopher. "Dave calls her a sheep any chance he can get. He said she's not really important to the story. Said she's a nobody."

Michelle snorted.

"I think miss Emma and I should have a talk," he said.

And with that, the most powerful alliance in the game was about to be formed. It would be Christopher's job to pull Joni and Emma in. It would be his job to make sure Murtz and Mike did not suspect he had turned on them. And although Christopher would be doing most of the work, Michelle had a little plan of her own she wanted to put into effect.

"I think," she smiled, "We should get Dani involved in this."

Christopher stared at her, a bit suspiciously.

"Dani?" he asked.

"Yeah. Think about it. If the guys somehow get Dani in, they could still force a tie. But if -we- have Dani on our side, they can't do much about it."

Christopher nodded, still a bit skeptical. Danielle was simply too spacey for him. He wasn't sure she could be relied upon to keep this a secret. Plus no one seemed to know where the hell she was coming from half the time.

"Besides," added Michelle. "Wouldn't you love to see the looks on their faces when Danielle helped vote them out. When Dave and Ryan and Mike get voted out by band camp girl herself?"

Christopher put a hand to his mouth.

"Oh... my... God..." he murmured. "That would be beautiful."

"I got Dani," said Michelle. "-You- get Joni and Emma. By the end of the night tonight, we should have five. And the guys will be screwed."

With that, Christopher and Michelle knocked fists, as they knew this was going to work. There was no way this could fail. Plan Naughty Hottie was now in effect... although there was one last thing to agree upon.

They both agreed to make Joni think it was her idea. Neither Christopher nor Michelle wanted to take the heat if this thing should fall through. Like Beth over at Sato, Joni was about to become a figurehead.




^^



"Oh, absolutely," said Joni. "I'm in."

The teenager was standing over the firepit, emptying another water jug into the boiling pot. She wore her yellow buff like a bandana, her hair plastered to her forehead from exertion. But this had been her job today. Joni had been on water boiling duty all day, and she wasn't happy about it. So when Christopher came to her and asked if she wanted to help vote the guys out, Joni agreed in a second.

"Can we take Mike out first?" she asked. "Please?"

She looked up at Christopher hopefully, but he only shushed her for the moment. He wanted to make sure no one was watching. He looked around, carefully, but as usual, Joni had been left alone. Since the very start of the game she had been more or less stuck here on her own. She had been turned into the camp mascot. But that wasn't what she was here for. Joni was here to play and here to -win-. And she was tired of people writing her off as a stupid little girl.

"Joni, can you fetch some water?"

"Joni, can you boil this?"

"Joni, you'll be sitting out the more physical challenges because you're small. Okay?"

And the greatest focus of Joni's ire at the moment was Mike. Mike Ruff, the big, strong leader of the Kamiyas. Because Mike had chosen to ignore her. He would flat out tell people why too... that he felt a 40 year old man and a 16 year old girl would have nothing in common. So he had not spoken to her since they arrived, and this, of course, had infuriated Joni. Murtz wasn't too bad about it. He would come over and talk to her, albeit superficially. She could tell he was just trying to win points with her. And Ryan... well Ryan was just smarmy. He seemed friendly enough but she didn't buy his nice guy act for a second. And while it annoyed her that the two of them talked down to her... with Mike, it was a whole different matter.

Because Mike simply ignored her, and that was -not- acceptable in Joni's book.

"Men are pigs," she had commented, in a confessional just this morning. "At least those three are. But at least -pigs- are smarter. Pigs are smart enough to feed themselves and know when to stop. These three guys..." She had gotten angry. "We'll be having a group conversation, and all of the sudden, one of the others will waltz right on in, and -boom-, they distance themselves and don't bother much to talk to the rest of us. Very strategic, guys. Thank you."

This had rankled her for two days now, and she had spent a good deal of the morning seething over it. Joni had a temper, and it peeked out every now and then, like now.

"I'm not sure what ticks me off more... the fact that they think they can control the game by themselves, or the fact that they based their alliance on gender, or the fact that they wrote me off before letting me show what I have to offer. -NONE- of it is strategic. They think that Dani's being afraid of the gnome is cause not to be here!? Well, having half a brain should be on the requirement list as well. It's ridiculous!"

And now she spilled out all her frustrations to Christopher. It all came out in a torrent, much to her relief. She -finally- had someone to talk this over with.

"Whatever you want to do," she said, "I'm in. Seriously. If it's against Mike and Dave and Ryan, I love it. I love it, I love it. Sign me up."

"Wow," said Christopher, "I didn't know they were so bad to you."

"I just hate," she said, almost near tears, "That they wrote me off. It bothers me because they judged their opinions of me on my age. And the fact that I'm a girl."

"Well, guess what," said Christopher, very much impressed by his younger teammate. "If we pull this off, not only will they be gone soon, but you will personally be responsible for handing Mike his walking papers."

Joni grinned up at him. That was all she wanted to hear.

"So you in, Jones?"

"Of course!"

The two of them exchanged a handshake... and then a hug. And Christopher was suddenly the best friend to not one, but -two- females on Kamiya. All that remained was Emma. And she shouldn't be much of a problem at all. She had been dismissed, and ignored, as much as Joni had. And if Christopher had his way, the young Georgian would soon be on board as well.

"Just lay low for now," he told Joni. "Don't let them know we talked."

"How would they know?" she asked, bitterly. "No one asks me. After all, I'm harmless. I'm just little Joni. Skinny Joni. Joni the Cook. Mike says jump: I say how high. It's that simple."

She laughed now, possibly her first true laugh since the game began. It felt great, and it was suddenly a lot more fun out here.

The game just got a lot better for Joni Newman.



^^



Isabella Smith was not surprised that Christopher came to her for an alliance.

The keen-eyed psychology student had sensed from moment one that he was gay. It was just something in his mannerisms. Something in the way he carried himself. But she knew. She had -always- known. And when she saw Christopher and the other three guys huddled up on day one, she had initially been worried. Because they were talking alliance. She knew it as much as she knew the sun was up.

Her initial comments on her tribe had been telling, as she had sat down at the end of the first day. Some of them she pegged right off the bat, as if she already knew what she would be up against. She knew there would be an all-male alliance and she had hoped-- -hoped- -- that Christopher would be a defector. Because without a defector, it would be a bloc almost impossible to break up.

Or so they might think.

"Chris is charismatic," she had noted, "And he's full of enthusiasm. I like him a lot. And although he hasn't said a word about it yet, I'm almost positive he's gay. He's taken an instant liking to me, which could be very useful."

She had smiled. For she saw Christopher as an ally since day one, and now here he was. Exactly as she predicted. She was weird like that, sometimes people just did exactly what she said they would. She almost felt she was clairvoyant at times, because it seemed to happen a lot in this game.

"Oh, I don't know," she told Christopher, feigning helplessness. "I know the guys would be real mad if they found out we were planning something. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

But Christopher gave her the hard sell. And although it wasn't necessary, he was very, very good at it.

"Emma, I wasn't sure I'd find anybody I felt that comfortable with right off the bat. But you and I have seemed to hit it off. I hope I'm not speaking out of line, but I think we have a lot in common?"

She nodded. She liked Christopher.

"But we can -take over- this tribe," he continued. "And boot their chauvinistic asses out. Wouldn't you love to see that?"

She nodded again, smiling.

"I wasn't sure what I'd find out here either Chris," she admitted. "But I feel more comfortable with you than with anyone else, and I'm really glad we're on the same tribe."

And with that, a pact was formed. Isabella was officially on board. But it wasn't like Christopher to leave it at that. No, when he bonded, he did it right. He went for the full ingratiation routine. So now he told her a secret that few people knew, although she had already figured it out for herself.

"I haven't told anyone this next part at all," he said, almost whispering. "And I'm hoping you'll be okay with it - but I feel like I can read you enough to trust you." She nodded, sincerely, so he continued. "But I'm the token "gay guy" out here. And there is -no way- I am going to go along with some stupid boys club. My best friends have always been women, and I am -so- not turning my back on the ladies now!"

Isabella laughed. He was cute. It was safe to say she liked Christopher right off the bat.

"Well," she said, "I for one sure do appreciate that! Don't let us down now, Chris, we need you!"

And with that, Isabella and Christopher locked pinkies.

It was a pinky swear.

"To the end," she smiled.

"To the end."



^^



As day two wound to a close, the two tribes were on totally different ends of the spectrum.

Sato went to bed a battered tribe. The tribe in green huddled together in their lackluster shelter, cold and miserable. Their ramshackle A-frame house sat next to the big gun on the beach, still missing part of its roof. Matt and David had done their best... but this simply wasn't a tribe of builders. David's flag made up the majority of the roof, and holes dotted the rest of the structure.

But it wasn't just the weather that was chilly in the Sato shelter.

It was the mood.

Amy slept on the left, huddled up between David and Beth. The three of them were getting along well at the moment, particularly Amy and David. The two single parents had seen a great kinship in their minds for this game, and more or less considered themselves the leaders of Sato at the moment. But the problem was that neither one wanted to step up as a visible leader... they had left that duty for Beth.

Beth had tried her very best to lead today, but people still didn't listen to her that much. People did what -they- wanted to do, and Beth was under no illusion that she had any power whatsoever. She was still clinging to her alliance as best she could, just hoping she wouldn't be the first one voted out.

Matt slept in the middle, although he didn't sleep much. He mainly stared at the ceiling... thinking. Matt was a thinker, and one of the better strategists out here. But he was far too quiet and self-conscious to start giving out orders. And he had watched in horror as everything had fallen apart today, with Matt unable to do anything to stop it.

Next to Matt slept Elisabeth and Henry, who had been responsible for a great deal of unneccessary drama around camp today. Elisabeth still did not see it, but her refusal to join the alliance had sent shockwaves up and down the tribe. First they had been shocked... and then they had panicked. Because Elisabeth, in her own panic, had tried to put together an alliance of her own. A counter alliance. And so off and on today, the entire tribe had been split down the middle... whose side were you on? Elisabeth had already been labeled a "drama queen," and all she had been doing was trying to protect her friend Lance. She slept in blissful silence, unaware that a good deal of the tribe was angry at her.

But Henry was the one in the greatest deal of hot water at the moment. Because through his mediation attempts today, he had finally come to the realization that he did not want to vote for Elisabeth. He simply couldn't do it, she was his best friend out here. So he had told his alliance that he would not take sides against her... which just led to more drama. Henry and his attempts to play all sides were rapidly becoming a big problem to those in power. He simply talked too much, and didn't know when to lay low and keep his mouth shut. And like Elisabeth, he didn't yet know he was in trouble.

Lance and Hogan were the final two. They slept on the far right of the shelter... the forgotten members of Sato. Lance slept well, content with the tribe he was so proud of. He loved this team. He loved his satos. He was confident that one of them would be winning this game.

And Hogan slept on the end. The young Eagle Scout had had a rough day. In the morning, he had gotten lost while searching for food. In the afternoon, he had been embroiled in Henry and Elisabeth's attempts to save her from the vote. And in the evening, he found out that people were throwing his name around as the target for the first vote. of course he knew. Henry told him. Henry told everybody everything.

But Hogan wasn't too concerned. He really wasn't much one to worry. All things would work themselves out in time. He simply opened up his luxury item -- a copy of War and Peace-- and started reading. This was his master plan to deal with stress-- Just open the book and start reading. Let the story take him away. After all, the book was huge and epic, with over 360 chapters. And if he played his cards right, Hogan would have -more- than enough time to finish the story by day 39.

And now he started reading.

"Page 1. Book One: 1805. Chapter I."





DAY 3




"We got treemail!"

Michelle and Joni were coming back from the Kamiya treemail box, as Michelle held a piece of weathered parchment in her left hand. She held it aloft as the rest of the tribe gathered around, to read the first in an increasingly bad series of treemail poems.

"-You've managed to live in the rain
Though some must be going insane
But now you must choose your best
To be put to the test
... Don't be the weak link in your chain!-"

The first immunity challenge was here... and it was going to be a fun one. A relay race, with eight people each assigned to different roles. Michelle and Joni exchanged a smile as Mike and Murtz took the lead in assigning each person a role. That wasn't surprising. Of course none of the -girls- would be smart enough to assign tasks. Michelle and Joni had laughed about it all the way back from the treemail box, as they had finalized plans for their new alliance.

It was Christopher-Michelle-Joni-Isabella.

Their sole purpose was to overthrow the guys. And blindside them in the process.

And it was clear to -all- that Christopher was the glue that held them together. He was the charismatic center of the bunch. He would be the one calling the shots, setting the boot order, and keeping them up to date on the guys' plans. He would joke that it was like "Charlie's Angels," with Christopher being the seldom seen leader, calling the shots from afar.

But when Isabella suggested they call themselves "Christopher's Angels," he wanted no part of it. He didn't want his name anywhere near the top of the pack. So he had cleverly brought Michelle's idea into play, and moved the focus to Joni instead. He wanted her in front, not him.

"How about Joni's Angels?" he had suggested. "After all, she's the one the guys will never see coming. This is your alliance, in a way, Jones. After all, they treated you the worst."

"All right," laughed Joni, "That's fine."

And Joni's Angels had been born. Right now they were four, but Danielle was still a potential fifth. Michelle had not yet approached her. She was waiting to see if Kamiya won immunity first. Because if there was no vote, there was no need for Dani to be in. Michelle didn't really trust Danielle to keep her mouth shut... and wanted to minimize that variable until they absolutely had to use her.

"This is our challenge, guys," said Mike, as he put his hand into the middle. "We're the stronger team, this one is ours. No way can Sato beat us."

"I hope someone knocks hockey mask on his ass," joked Murtz, to which the rest of the tribe laughed. Everyone agreed that the kid with the hockey mask, Matt, had to be taken down a notch. They all hated him.

"Someone take out flag boy too," suggested Ryan, which was again met with approval. David was no more popular than Matt.

"Hey Mike," asked Michelle, "Is the gnome coming to the challenge?"

Mike looked up at her, smiling. He then looked over at his little buddy, the gnome known as Mario. He then looked back at the group.

"The gnome goes -everywhere-," he said. "Of course he's coming. Mario always travels with us."



^^



The first immunity challenge is always a big step in the game of Survivor. It sets the tone off with a bang... and both teams are scared to death of it before it arrives. Because -nobody- wants to be the first one to leave. -Everybody- wants to win the first challenge of the game. Sato and Kamiya had been anticipating this challenge for two days now. Both teams eyed that third day on the calendar with a wary trepidation... both excited to be a part of it, and also fearing its potential consequences. But now it was here. Now, it was time for the first challenge.

The game was about to begin.

Jeff Probst stood in a clearing, on the small island of Tomi. Sitting just south of Okinawa, Tomi is one of two "sister" islands, along with its twin, Kadina. The two islands are little more than dots on a map-- but they would be integral to the fate of this game. Because this is where the teams were now meeting, head to head, for the first time.

"Welcome guys," smiled Jeff, as the Kamiya tribe had finally arrived. Their boat trip had taken a little longer and they were now standing in place, in a small cluster on their yellow "KAMIYA" mat. Mike stood in front, with his buff-wearing gnome on the sand next to him. The rest of the tribe filled out to the side and behind.

Sato had arrived thirty minutes ago.

"This is your first immunity challenge," said Jeff, "And today, the name of the game is teamwork. You guys are gonna need to work together on this one, or you will lose."

He reached down and picked up a large iron ring. At least, it -looked- like a single ring, but it was actually -five- rings, stacked up together. They were linked together in a design that, when spread out, looked like an Olympic logo.

"Your job as a team," Jeff added, "Is to unlink this ring puzzle. The first team to unlink their rings and get them apart will not only win immunity..." he smiled, "But will also win a small fishing kit. Including fishhooks. I know you guys could both use those around camp."

Several players nodded and smiled, with more than one gaunt Survivor already wistful about the thought of a fish feast tonight. No one had really been eating much so far.

"This is an eight part relay," said Jeff. "And each of you will do one task. So let's check out the course."

He turned around and pointed to two trees behind him. Looking up, the players saw a wooden platform at the top of each tree. On each platform was a small treasure chest.

"Part one," said Jeff, "Is to get your ring puzzle out of that treasure chest. And you're gonna need four people to do it."

He counted off on his fingers.

"The first person is your climber. This is your most dextrous person, they will be the one climbing up that tree. And they will probably be the -most- important member of your team, so I hope you guys are ready to climb."

Michelle nodded for the Kamiyas, as she took a glance up the tree. It didn't look too terribly high, but it was going to take some effort. Beth took a moment to confer with some Sato teammates, but she looked confident as well. She may be older, but she was a climber. And she was ready. Both women were ready for the task.

"Your climber can get some help," added Jeff, "From your builder. The builder will be invaluable in helping you save some time up that tree. Because your builder will have some of these." He reached down to pick up a slat of wood. "The moment the challenge starts, your builder will start nailing these to the tree, trying to create a ladder to climb up. And the more slats you get up... the less of a climb Beth and Michelle will have to make. So you guys can really help out your climber if you work at it."

Jeff reached down now and picked up a small brass key.

"This is a key to your treasure chest. There are three locks on each chest, so you will need -three- of these keys to open it up and retrieve your ring puzzle. There are ten keys hidden in that small meadow over there, but you just need to find three." He pointed to a grassy field near the base of the trees.

"When we begin the challenge, two things will happen. Your builder will start nailing up slats... and your searcher will begin looking for keys. Once your searcher finds -three- keys, you are set to climb. Your climber will take the keys, climb up whatever ladder has been created, and try to make it up to your platform as fast as possible."

The players looked up at the wooden platforms now.

"Stage four," added Jeff, "Is the hardest one. One of you will be waiting up on the platform, and your job will be to unlock the chest and..." he smiled, "Retrieve the ring puzzle from inside."

He grinned now, but wouldn't elaborate. But it was that evil grin that most of them weren't used to yet. Only Isabella recognized it, and she shuddered.

She hated that evil grin.

"Once you get the puzzle out of the chest," finished Jeff, "It is a simple race to the end. Drop the ring puzzle down, and your runner will take it over there." He pointed to two large wooden rowboats, which sat halfway up the beach.

"Your strongman will be waiting at the boats. Once he gets the rings, he will drag the boat... by himself... down to the ocean. It will be a lot of work, because those things are heavy."

Jeff now pointed across the shore, to the sister island of Kadina.

"Your job is to get your puzzle across the sea to Kadina Island, where it can finally be solved. Your rower will row the boat across the sea, hand it off to your puzzle solver... and hopefully they will be smart enough to unlink the rings."

Jeff paused to catch his breath.

"I know," he smiled, "Sounds complicated, but it's very easy. Just do your stage the best you can and the team that works the best together will win. Simple as that."

And with that, it was time to begin.



^^



Fifteen minutes later, the teams were in their places and ready to go. Jeff checked to make sure everyone was in place... then he turned to the searchers and builders. Danielle and Isabella would be starting the contest for the Kamiyas, while David and Matt would be starting for the Satos.

It was going to be the men against the women.

"This is for immunity," called Jeff, as he raised his right arm in the air.

"Survivors ready..." He paused.

"GO!"

Danielle and David raced over to the grassy meadow to look for their keys, while Isabella and Matt began to nail wooden slats into the base of their trees as fast as they could. It all happened very quickly, and the rest of their teams cheered them on from afar as events transpired.

"Let's go, David!" called Amy, as David dropped to his hands and knees in the grass. He scoured his hands around in a large circle, trying to find one of the tiny brass keys. To his left, Danielle was sitting still, peering as best she could into the grass, looking for a tiny glint of brass.

"Got one!" called David, as he pulled up the first Sato key. He stuffed it into his pocket and began to search again, this time moving slightly to his left. He still needed two more, and he searched as fast as he could.

With Kamiya behind now, Danielle concentrated even more, and was rewarded with a quick flash of brass. The small Asian woman reached down and plucked it out of the grass. Now each team had a key.

As the two searchers continued their work in the grass, Jeff turned to look at builders, to see how they were faring. Isabella had nailed four boards into the tree for Kamiya, and was working on steadying the fifth one in place. She appeared to be having a little trouble with it, and she now accidentally dropped her hammer onto the ground. But Matt, on the Sato side, was getting his ladder built with a passion. The building star of Sato already had six boards up, and had climbed up his ladder to nail up a seventh. The young redhead had started the challenge wearing his trademark hockey mask, but had now tossed it aside, to concentrate on his work better.

But then suddenly... Jeff was shocked to hear Danielle call out from the Kamiya meadow. Her perky voice piped up proudly: "I've got three keys!"

Danielle's sharp eye had picked out all three keys in record time, and she now came over to hand them off to Michelle, the climber. David looked over from Sato's meadow, panicked, as he still had only one. Sato was in danger of falling behind early.

"Go! Go!" cheered Danielle, as Michelle stuffed the keys in her pocket and started to climb up the tree. Isabella hadn't provided her much of a ladder, but it was a start, and she stepped back as Michelle started to scramble up the Kamiya tree.

David finally found his second key. It wasn't that he was doing badly, it was just that Danielle had done it so quickly. But he was starting to sweat now... and the sight of Michelle nimbly climbing up the tree wasn't helping. But a few moments later, he finally found it. David found the elusive third key.

"Got it!" he yelled, as he turned to run to the Sato tree. He handed the keys off to Beth, who started up after Michelle. And as luck would have it, Matt had managed to construct an -exceptional- ladder. It reached fourteen rungs high, and Beth thanked him as she easily climbed up after her Kamiya rival.


Michelle concentrated with all her might as she pulled herself up from limb to limb. It wasn't easy going, but she was skilled, and she was still a healthy distance ahead of Beth. She looked back, and saw Beth trying her best to make up the distance. Beth was not a small woman, but she was surprisingly agile for her size, and was making her way up with ease.

And finally... Michelle reached the Kamiya platform, about 90 seconds ahead of Beth. She was greeted by Ryan, who clapped her on the back and took the three brass keys from her hand. Ryan turned around now, and faced the Kamiya treasure chest. Inside was the ring puzzle, and it was up to him to get it out.

He took a deep breath, went over, and used the keys to open the three locks.

He opened the chest...

...And was greeted by sand. A treasure chest full of sand.

"What the...?" he wondered aloud. Amy heard this, looked over from the Sato platform, and laughed. She was still waiting for Beth to arrive, but at least she knew what was waiting in the treasure chest now.

Ryan reached one hand into the sand, and pulled it back sharply. The sand was -HOT!- And it hurt!

"Block out the pain!" called up Jeff. "Let's see what kind of heat tolerance you have, Rebez!"

Ryan cursed Jeff under his breath and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and plunged both hands into the sand. Then he immediately pulled them out. He rubbed his hands together, softly blowing on them. This one was going to be a bitch.

"Amy!" called Beth, winded, as she finally reached the Sato platform. Amy retrieved the brass keys and opened her own chest. And just like with Ryan, she was greeted with a chestful of sand. She wrinkled her nose.

Ryan had taken another plunge now, and his hands fished around in the sand as best he could. He managed to keep them in for about twenty seconds, and then yanked them out, yelping in pain. To his right, he heard Amy also cry out in pain from the hot sand. She had also been unsuccessful in her first attempt.

Over and over, the two of them fished around in the sand. Amy appeared to have a little more tolerance for pain, but Ryan had started sooner, so he had already searched through most of the chest.

And then his hands struck metal. Triumphantly, he yanked the ring puzzle out of the sand and held them up. On the ground below, Joni let out a loud cheer.

"Throw them down!" she called. "Down here!"

Ryan tossed the set of rings down to the ground, where they hit the grass with a soft thud. Joni bounded over to retrieve them, winced a bit at the touch of hot metal, and then turned towards the beach. Mike was waiting there, next to the Kamiya boat. It would be her job to run the rings over to him. Much as she hated to do, she was again fetching something for Mike.

"Later," she said to Elisabeth, the Sato runner, as Joni started racing across the island towards the beach. Elisabeth turned to watch... and was almost hit in the head by a set of falling Sato rings.

"Elisabeth!" called Amy. "The rings!"

Elisabeth turned and saw the Sato ring puzzle lying in the grass. She snatched them up, turned to thank Amy, and then was off. It was going to be teenager against teenager, and Joni already had a bit of a lead.

Mike and Hogan stood by their boats, watching as the two young girls came running for them. Joni was running for all she was worth, but it was clear to all that Elisabeth had some -serious- wheels. She was closing in on Joni like a madwoman, and Joni simply didn't have the speed to stay ahead. She was trying, but Elisabeth caught her on the straightaway. Joni could only watch helplessly as Elisabeth and her flying blonde hair passed by with ease.

Now, Sato had the lead. And Elisabeth had a smile from ear to ear as she handed the rings off to Hogan. She bent over now, winded, but she had done it. She had shown everyone who the queen of the Okinawa challenges would be. And her name would be Elisabeth.

The lead was now in Hogan's hands. It would be his job to drag the Sato boat down to shore, and he was just the guy to do it. Hogan was easily the strongest member of Sato... and how he put it on display. The former Eagle Scout started pulling the boat along the beach, grunting with the effort. He closed his eyes, concentrated as best he could, and slowly dragged the heavy wooden thing towards the water.

As Hogan pulled, Mike was just receiving Kamiya's rings from Joni. The burly cameraman thanked her and then started pulling his own boat across the beach.

Now it was strongman against strongman. The Eagle Scout against the cameraman.

Both tribes watched as Hogan and Mike put their great strength on display. Hogan was ahead, thanks to the lead from Elisabeth, but Mike was no slouch at all. In fact, now Mike appeared to be gaining on him. Mike's red face was partially hidden by his mustache, but the big man was definitely gaining on the young Eagle Scout now.

"It's gonna be close," commented Jeff, as he watched Murtz and Lance wait nervously on Kadina island. They were going to be the two puzzle solvers. They would be unlinking the puzzles. And it may just come down to -who- could unlink the rings fastest under pressure.

Jeff was pleased. This was a good one. This ending was -DEFINITELY- going to go down to the wire.

Hogan finally reached the edge of the water. He collapsed on the sand while the Sato rower, Henry, grabbed the rings and hopped inside his boat. Henry put his oars in the water just as Mike pulled the Kamiya boat to the shore as well. The big man had successfully caught Sato, and he also fell to the sand, exhausted.

Now... it was a rowing race to the finish.

Henry started with a slight lead... but Christopher started rowing with a mad ferocity. The former water polo player gritted his teeth as he quickly caught Henry... and then passed him by. Henry was certainly no slouch in the water, but he simply didn't have the determination in Christopher's eyes. Nor did he appear to be putting in top effort, and suddenly the Kamiyas had opened up the lead again.

"Go Chris!" cheered Joni from the shore, as he had neared the final destination. Murtz was excitedly jumping up and down as the Kamiya boat neared his beach. Henry was not far behind in the Sato boat, but Murtz was about to be given a headstart in the puzzle showdown.

And now Christopher was here.

He tossed the ring puzzle to Murtz, who caught it and immediately started in on unlinking the rings. Murtz was smart, very smart, and his eyes twinkled with concentration as he quickly got the first ring loose.

"Kamiya has one ring unlinked!" announced Jeff.

Henry had now arrived, and he tossed his ring puzzle to Lance. The pre-school teacher caught it and frantically tried to match Murtz's quick hands.

"Kamiya has two rings unlinked!" announced Jeff.

Henry looked on in a panic as Murtz had very nearly finished the Kamiya puzzle. Henry then looked at Lance, but Lance was still working on his first ring for Sato.

"Kamiya has three!" said Jeff, as Murtz tossed the third ring aside.

And now it was crunch time.

Murtz worked on the final two rings, trying to separate them. And while Lance was doing a good job, finally unlinking his first ring... it was simply too late. This was going to be Kamiya's day.

Murtz smiled happily, as he separated the final two rings from one another and held them up.

"Kamiya!" shouted Jeff, "Wins immunity!"

The yellow tribe erupted in cheers as Murtz and Christopher embraced in a mad hug. Murtz let out a victory cheer and held one of the rings up in triumph as Jeff handed the immunity idol to Mike, across the bay.

"Nicely done," said Jeff, as Mike and Joni hugged happily, temporarily friends. Jeff then handed Joni the Kamiya tribe's new fishing kit, and she let out a cheer.

As Kamiya celebrated, Jeff walked over to a dejected team in green. Elisabeth was sitting sadly on the shore, and Hogan was laying down, his eyes covered in frustration. Henry sat slumped in his boat, just staring out to sea. The rest of the Satos were sadly walking over, and none of them looked particularly happy. This loss had been close... and heartbreaking. They had it. They thought they had -had- it.

"I guess you know what that means," Jeff said, as Beth nodded, sadly.

"Tribal Council tonight. One of you guys is going home."



^^



Sato trudged back to camp after the challenge, depressed and defeated.

The tribe in green had gotten off to as rocky as a start as was humanly possible. Simply put, the first three days had not been much fun at -all.- Nearly everything had gone wrong. Survival-wise, the tribe was incompetent. They didn't have much of a shelter and didn't have any food. Socially, the tribe was a disaster. Their core alliance had swelled from four members... to five... to seven... and back down to five again. Nearly everybody had been involved at some point except for Hogan, who no one seemed to care much about right now. And now it seemed that everyone was upset with everyone else.

"We truly have a fractured tribe right now," sighed David. The web developer was now sitting against a rock, whittling a small stick. A small growth of beard already covered his lower face. "And I'm not sure if it is fixable. I mean, we started out okay. But some people here genuinely get under other peoples' skin as far as I can tell. All you have to do is take that -little- pebble in someone's shoe and throw in politics, and it becomes a big issue."

David sighed. This wasn't going well at all.

The problem with Sato wasn't so much that they had bad players. No, most of these people knew how to play the game and how to get along. The problem wasn't competence so much as it was timidity. Sato was just a very -timid- tribe. Nobody wanted to stick their neck out and put forth any sort of leadership. Whereas David was a great strategist, he was simply not the type to be a leader. Whereas Amy was liked and respected by all, she was too smart to put a target on her back. And whereas Matt would have made an excellent leader on another tribe... here he was just eighteen years old, and far too unsure of himself to be ordering anybody around.

And then there was Henry.

"Henry," sighed Amy, as she gave her own confessional. Her eyes looked weary today. She had been through a lot in the past two days, and Henry had somehow managed to turn himself into a personal thorn in her side. "Henry has managed to make these past three days as difficult as humanly possible. You know, we formed an alliance early on, and all was good. And then he decided he wanted Elisabeth in, because she was his friend."

She sighed again. Then she reached up to tie her hair back with her buff, talking as she tied. She spoke in a very distinct midwestern accent, almost like Heidi Strobel.

"Henry's favorite hobby is to speak for the alliance as if he's speaking for himself. He waves our alliance around like it's some huge, obnoxious flag... and this is after we all -promised- not to discuss alliance with anybody. So what does he do? This morning he starts talking alliance -right in front of Lance!-" She made a face now. She was clearly tired of discussing Henry Jenkins. "So Lance flips out and starts accusing us of plotting against him, and Henry gets all self-righteous that we shouldn't hold secrets from one another and..." She sighed. "It's a disaster. I just want Henry to go away. I have a six year old at home, I don't need to be babysitting another one out here."

Amy's opinion was one shared by several members of her alliance. She was not the only alliance member who wanted to cut Henry loose for their own sanity. Beth was certainly no fan of Henry and Matt was probably the biggest Henry critic of them all. The young ice cream vendor would rail against Henry any chance he could get. But despite their shared desire to get rid of Henry, one man would continually step in and remind then of one simple fact.

"Guys," David would say. "I know he causes problems but remember this is -an alliance.- Henry is one of our -alliance.- You don't go cannibalizing your alliance on day three!"

And in time, David could usually settle them all down. Amy was the hardest sell, as she and Henry simply couldn't co-exist some days, but for the most part David was the peacemaker. It was a job he was good at. After all, he had children.

But what David didn't know was that Henry was about to make things even worse.



^^



Elisabeth Marie was nearly in tears now.

The young girl from Michigan was sitting in the fishing boat with Henry, listening to what he had to say. Their friendship had been very important to her, and she believed everything Henry said. She always had. So when he told her that the alliance wanted her gone, she nearly broke down. She was devastated.

"Why?" she asked. "What did I do?"

"They don't trust you," said Henry. "Since you turned down their alliance, they were scared. They thought you would form some sort of counter alliance, and you did."

"I was just trying to protect Lance! I didn't want them voting him out!"

"I understand," said Henry. "Don't you realize that I've been on your side all along? I'm the only friend you've got right now, Lis. Amy is terrified of you. You're the sweetheart with the teddy bear. Everyone loves you, and she sees you as a threat. Beth says you're a drama queen. They're all scared of you."

"But I didn't do anything to anyone!"

"Elisabeth," he laid a hand on her shoulder now. "I respect you more than anything. You have to know that. But a lot of people don't trust you right now. They just don't. They're not clear where your loyalties are, and it seems like you might be playing both sides. No one's sure. But what I'd like to do is to try to bring this group back together as much as possible until a decision actually needs to be reached."

"But they all want me out? How can I be friends with them now?"

"Look," he said. "Don't you know how hard this is for me? I'm caught on two sides right now, and I can't be on both. I want to be your friend and tell you, but they're all telling me to vote you out. Do you know how badly I'm trying to help you?"

Elisabeth laughed now. A sad laugh, not still a laugh nonetheless.

"It's almost like Romeo and Juliet," she said. "We're friends but we're on different sides."

"That's very true," said Henry. "And I don't mean this as a come on in any way. But you and I are Romeo and Juliet."

"Agreed," she sighed. Then she added, "But you know, one of us doesn't have to die in the end this time. Maybe this time around we can kill Tibalt or Mercutio."

Henry laughed. Then have gave her a hug.

"I'll go see what I can do."




^^



"No," said Amy. "Absolutely not."

Henry and Amy were in approximately their tenth argument of the day. Because while Henry was away, the alliance had decided. Elisabeth had to go. They didn't trust her, they knew she was trying to turn Lance and Hogan against them, and she was -far- more sneaky than she seemed. Elisabeth had already commented to Beth that Henry, Lance and Matt were "her boys" and she had "a few tricks" still left up her sleeve. Although more than anything, the alliance was flat out scared of Elisabeth's power over Henry. The two of them had to be separated and separated fast.

Thus they had decided to vote out Elisabeth.

"That is not fair!" spat Henry. "You guys can't be making the voting decisions without me! We come back from the challenge, I go have a talk with her, I come back, and you've decided! Why wasn't I asked?"

"Because we can't trust you, Henry. You'd go tell her and then get her all riled up! You've told Lance about the alliance. You told Hogan. You've told everyone! You can't keep a secret!"

Neither Henry nor Amy would back down over this, and they eventually agreed to let it drop. But Henry was not happy. He was furious with his alliance. He was still unaware that -he- had nearly been the target, and only David had stepped in and saved him. Another thing that Henry did not know was that Hogan had fessed up. He had come to Amy and told her about Elisabeth's plans. Elisabeth -had- been trying a counter alliance and -had- been sneaking around to save her own skin.

And once Hogan turned on Elisabeth, it was all but over. He told the alliance that she was trouble and that sealed Elisabeth's fate. Nothing Henry could do would save her at this point. Romeo and Juliet were going to be separated, just like in the story.

About thirty minutes later Matt dropped by camp, and told the group the latest news. He had seen Henry and Elisabeth were down by the beach, saying their final tearful goodbyes. Apparently it was quite a spectacle. If nothing else, Henry seemed to love spectacle.

"Doesn't he realize that both Romeo and Juliet die in the story?" asked Beth.

The rest of the alliance laughed, as David shook his head. -Here we go,- he thought. -More 'Vote out Henry' talk.-

"Do you know how many people she has given that Romeo and Juliet story?" asked Beth. "I bet she's given it to every one of the guys here. She's good."

Matt raised his hand. Apparently he had been considered as one of her Romeos as well. She had gone to him to try to save her own skin, just as she had done with Henry.

"Girl, how many suitors do you have?" joked Amy.

And with that, it was nearly time to pack up for Tribal Council. One by one, the eight members of Sato gathered their things, and their thoughts, for the long hike to destiny. The last one to leave camp was Matt, who stopped to deliver a final confessional on the day's events. And as usual, he put his own unique spin on things.

"I’m sure the others will be more diplomatic, but I’m gonna be blunt and straight up. I want Elisabeth gone tonight. She’s scheming all over the place and promising many different things to many people, even
going so far as to telling Henry that the two of them were Romeo and Juliet." He smiled. "And this would be all fine and dandy if it wasn’t for a few things. One, them being Romeo and Juliet would be statutory rape. Two, Romeo and Juliet ended up in tragedy, so pretty much everyone who met the star-crossed lovers would wind up six feet under. And three, she’s promising sorts of sweet nothings to all the guys, and last time I checked Romeo and Juliet wasn’t a gangbang."

He nodded.

"Think about it."



^^




As Sato started on their hike to Tribal Council, Kamiya was celebrating the night away in style.

"Come one, come all," said the announcement, "To the first annual Kamiya victory celebration. Come dance the night away with the winning tribe in style. Attire is optional. No gnomes allowed."

Murtz had written up the note on a small piece of parchment and stuck it to a tree. And with that, Kamiya held the first of many nighttime celebrations. This would become the celebration tribe. The party tribe. And they always liked to party in style.

As the day wound to a close, Kamiya held a rousing game of Truth or Dare, followed by a game Ryan made up called "Who, What, Where?" And they had a blast. Old grudges were forgotten for a while, the game was dropped, and it was a joyous celebration to remember.

Murtz sat next to Ryan for most of the evening, laughing and joking with his tribemates. A good deal of the jokes were at Sato's expense, particularly David and Matt. But now they made fun of Henry as well, and his woeful performance in the rowing challenge. But Murtz also made special time to make fun of Danielle as well, as he and Ryan continually made subtle jokes, directly to her face, without her so much as noticing. It was now becoming a game, as Ryan and Murtz tried to top one another with the cruelest comments possible.

And if you asked Murtz, he would tell you that yes, he was happy they had won. Because he wanted to keep Danielle around. She was like a pet to him, and he found her amusing. He was willing to spare her for three more days because she was cute and she made him laugh.

But what Murtz didn't know was that he very well could have been gone tonight. He was still completely unaware that Christopher had his "Angels." Murtz had no idea that Michelle hated his guts. He had no idea that Isabella distrusted him or Joni thought he was "stuck up." And he had -no- idea that Christopher didn't even call him Dave anymore. He simply referred to Murtz now as "asshole."

So the tribe celebrated. And as the party went on, two people continually made eye contact across the fire from one another. There were two people here who were -very- interested in one another.

Like Henry and Elisabeth on Sato, they were a male and a female on opposite sides of the fence. But in this case, they had hardly spoken a word to one another yet. They had just been watching one another. Because both of them knew from moment one... that these were the two biggest players out here.

Isabella stared at Ryan now, every so often meeting his gaze with a coy glance downards... a flirting gesture. Because this guy made her nervous. She knew the moment she looked into those definitive aqua eyes-- Ryan Rebez was a player. He had that vibe about him, and he was always very cautious about what he gave away. Simply put, he was dangerous. With a capital D.

"Ryan is elusive." Those had been the first words out of her mouth on day one. "The way he moves, the way he talks, the way he is. It doesn't agree with me. He's hiding something, that much I am certain of, and I want to get to know him better. Because right now, I'd say Ryan strikes me as a huge player and I don't trust him as far as I can spit."

So Isabella was trying to start the flirting game, and see where it would lead her. But the funny thing was... Ryan was just as convinced that Emma was full of crap too. From the moment he met her on day one, Ryan knew that the quiet blonde woman from Georgia was a big-time player. He was the only one thus far who had seen through her act.

"I have seen something odd in Emma," he had confessed this afternoon. "She’s a good-natured, friendly person, although I know that somewhere in her there’s a player. I can already tell from little comments here and there that she’s picking up on what’s going on around her, and that she’s very aware of the game."

Ryan was no stranger to strategy, and out of all the guys, he may have had an inkling that they could be in trouble. He was the only one who seemed to notice that Murtz was disliked, and Mike was seen as overbearing. And Emma's appeal as a player was slowly starting to grow on him. In short, he was debating bringing in Emma over Murtz. Because Murtz talked too much, and he tended to be careless.

"Dave Roth is one of those people that gets tiring after a very short period of time. I mean, he’s like a five year-old on a sugar high. You just have to keep running after him constantly, making sure he’s not doing anything stupid."

Ryan would hold his right hand up in the air, like a sock puppet. He did this a lot in confessionals. And now he spoke to his hand, as if talking to Murtz.

“No, Dave... don’t play with the broom. Don’t touch the cookies until after dinner. Uh-uh... the dog is not a horsey. Put that broom down before you poke your eye out! Get off of the dog... your horsey is in the bedroom! I said leave the cookies alone!”

He smiled, clearly proud of his plan. Emma was all but his, that sweet little thing. All he had to do was get in good with her, and Murtz could easily be replaced.

"Dave just needs to relax in the knowledge that he’s in the majority and calm down a little. Or a lot. Because he doesn't realize that I have a few spare toys in my playroom in case I get bored with my favorite ones."

He paused.

"Or break them."



^^



The large wooden shrine loomed just ahead as the Satos made their fateful walk. It seemed like they had been walking forever... and that shrine kept looming closer and closer. With its distinctive goalpost-like gates in front, they could see it was going to be an important place. Because that's where they were headed. That was Tribal Council.

And finally, after a nearly two hour hike, they were here.

Tribal Council in Okinawa would be held in a replica of a traditional Shinto shrine. This was a sacred place of worship, the home of the -kami-, or Shinto gods. And as with all shrines, it was guarded by a gate in front. Shaped almost like goalposts, the orange-and-black gates marked the entrance to this holy place, and were called -torii-.

And once you walked through the torii, you would be inside. You would be in the offering hall. And you would be filled with reverence and awe.

Because this was a place that -demanded- respect.

The eight green-buffed Satos filed into Tribal Council now, one by one. Henry led the way, and David brought up the rear. And none of them looked particularly happy to be here, either. They looked haggard and downtrodden as they took their seats- four in the front and four in the back, as always. Because this had been a rocky start to the game, and they knew Jeff was about to let them have it. They had barely met the guy, yet they knew he wasn't going to be complimentary towards their performance thus far.

"Welcome guys," he said, as they had finally taken their seats.

Jeff stood behind a large bamboo podium, and smiled across the room at them. A small firepit sat to his side, the only real light illuminating the room. Well, other than the camera lights, anyway.

And without much fanfare or introduction, Jeff launched right into the questions.

"Amy," he turned towards the pretty young woman from Wisconsin, who sat in the back row, trying her best to hide in the corner. She was a little frightened of Jeff, truth be told. "What's the state of Sato right now? Do you guys have a leader?"

"Well Jeff," she began, "We're kind of in a state of rebuilding right now. We've never really had a leader, per se, but -everyone- contributes ideas and information, and we all look after one another to make sure we get things done. So I think we're doing fairly well."

By now the Beth leadership experiment was clearly a bust, and nobody seemed to want to comment on it. One by one, the players went down the line, claiming that they had no leader, claiming that everyone pitched in to help. Although Henry was the first to admit that Sato could use a little work in this department. And he was not afraid to say so.

"Jeff," he sighed, "until someone steps up as the leader we're gonna have to do this with good old fashioned communication and common sense. And it isn't working real well so far. I don't know that all eight Sato members are tight with all seven of their tribemates yet. We could work on that a little."

"Well then," probed Jeff, "Would you guys say you are a unified bunch? Or is this a splintered tribe?"

He looked at Lance, who already looked troubled by the question. Because Lance had been deeply bothered by the alliance divisions that had happened thus far. Lance -hated- the fact that people had splintered so soon, as his dream of a unified Sato tribe had been smashed almost off the bat. His very idealized view of a Survivor utopia had been destroyed almost the moment they had arrived at camp.

"Jeff," he said, "As much as I want to say that we're unified, alliances are bound to happen. The only problem is that when word of alliances gets out, it makes people nervous. You stop being a tribe and it becomes a game of politics."

"Well Lance," continued Jeff, "What would -you- say is the number one priority for Sato right now?"

"Challenges," nodded Lance. "We need to win challenges. Those are easily the most important. Because if we win immunity, we all stay here. If we win rewards, we can gain materials that will help us with the state of our campsite. So in the end, it all ties back to challenges."

"Do you agree, Amy?"

"Well," Amy had been caught off guard by the question. She thought about it for a moment. "I think the state of our campsite is the key to how well we do in this game right now. Without shelter and food, we have no energy. Without energy, we don't win immunity, and without immunity, we don't have security. And when the security is gone, that's when the paranoia creeps back in and rules us all."

Jeff nodded, impressed by the answer. But now it was time to get down to it. It was time to see what these people were made of. It was time to start making them sweat it out a little.

"How do you decide to vote tonight? Henry, what goes through your mind when you walk up to that podium?"

Henry smiled.

"It took me a long time," he said, "And a lot of lost sleep to figure that out. There's a reason - or several reasons I should say - for each person in the tribe to stay. And... there are reasons for some people to go. But for now you have to look at the present moment. Who's gonna get you through a potential second vote? And in the end, you just listen to what your heart tells you. Because if you give it time... it'll speak its piece."

"What about you Matt? How do you cast a vote tonight?"

"I will cast my vote," said Matt, "Based upon the actions of the last few days. I base it upon who I feel is the least genuine one here."

Matt looked grim as he said this, and Jeff sensed a definite sore subject in the air. Sato clearly didn't want to talk about this. So Jeff moved on to Amy, of course.

"My decision," she said, "Will be based on who can contribute the most to the well-being of the tribe." She shrugged. "That's it. Plain and simple."

"What about you, Elisabeth?"

Jeff turned to the young blonde girl on the right, who suddenly looked very small next to the rest of her tribe. And she looked sad. Because she had a pretty good idea she was going tonight, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all.

"I honestly have not made up my mind yet," she said. "Becuase it's so hard, you know? It's -easy- when you're sitting at home, sipping on your drink and scarfing down your popcorn, but when you're out here and you're living it, it's so much more different." She looked down as she spoke, trying not to cry. "Because at this stage in the game, you don't know -anybody- that well so you don't think -anyone- really truly deserves to go."

"Elisabeth, do you feel like your performance in the challenge will help you out tonight?"

"Of course not," she said. "I shouldn't be safer than everybody else. We win as a tribe and we lose as a tribe, and if we lose then I'm right along with everybody else. It's as simple as that."

"Well," smiled Jeff. "We've just about come to that point in the game. The point where the first person is voted out. But before we do so, I'll give you all one last chance to appeal your case. It is -your- job to explain why you should stay here, and why they should keep you around for three more days."

He turned to Amy.

"Amy, what about you? What is the -one- thing you bring to Sato that nobody else does?"

"I bring motherhood," she smiled.

"Morale," said Elisabeth. "I bring morale."

"I bring pool," joked Henry. He pointed back to his luxury item, his pool cue. "I bring pool."

"I brought my flag," said David, very matter of factly. "It's now part of our roof."

"Strength," said Hogan. And this was true. Hogan was far and away their strongest member. And he was well aware of it, too.

"Enthusiasm," smiled Beth. "I always have a smile on my face."

"Eccentricity," said Lance. And true to form, he didn't elaborate. He was a man of few words.

Matt was the final one to speak. And as usual, he wasn't going to give a straight answer. The young comedian reverted back to his favorite movie of all time, -The Graduate-, for one of his favorite inside jokes.

"Plastics."

Jeff let the joke hang in the air, as so many of Matt's strange comments tended to do. And then he announced it was time to vote. Now it was time to cut Sato down to seven.

"Amy, you're up first."

Amy Twieg smiled and stood up. She walked briskly up to the podium, her hair tied back in a ponytail. And without question, Amy was going to cast her vote for the cancer of her team tonight. The young girl who had made everyone panic, made two sides square off, and driven Henry nearly crazy with her Romeo and Juliet games. And she -really- wanted to vote out Henry, but this was more of an alliance decision. If Henry stayed, Elisabeth had to go. The two of them had to be separated. Simple as that.

She held up her vote. On it was written "Elisabeth." And in parentheses next to it was the name "Juliet."

"How many Romeos do you have, girl? Keeping you around would result in a mass exodus of Sato. This time, Juliet has to go first."

She placed her ballot in the box and returned to her seat. Next up to the podium was Beth. And like Amy, she also cast a vote for Elisabeth. And like Amy, she also wrote the name "Juliet" to the side. That was the alliance plan for tonight. They all planned to vote out "Juliet," not Elisabeth.

"Lis," said Beth, "I really hate to do this and this is very hard for me. But like you admitted, too much drama thus far. I wish this had turned out differently. Can’t wait to talk to you soon."

Next up was David. And then Matt. And then Hogan. One by one, the three males walked up to the podium to cast their ballots. None of their votes were a surprise.

And then came Lance.

Lance McHale stood in front of the voting urn, a sad look on his face. Because he didn't like to do this. He -hated- to lose a valuable member of his team. Because despite what the rest of the tribe said, all eight of the members here were valuable and this was a -tribe.- They were one. So he held up his ballot, albeit reluctantly, for the one member he thought could not be beaten in this game.

"Henry," he said, holding up his parchment, "You're the strongest player here, and you're always thinking about the game in your head. If you're not booted early, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with. I really like Liz, and feel that she should stay tonight, which is why she isn't receiving my vote."

Lance had made good on his promise not to vote for his friend, and he placed the ballot in the box with a clear conscience. He hated to vote for -anyone-, but at least he knew he hadn't gone along with the herd. He wasn't going to let them bully him into voting out young Elisabeth.

Elisabeth was the seventh member of the tribe to vote. She walked up to the podium sadly, already fearing the worst. But she knew she only had one chance to stay alive. And as much as she hated to do it, she had to vote for Henry. She had to vote for her Romeo, just as Lance was doing. That was simply the only way she could stay alive. It was going to be Henry or her... and Elisabeth just wasn't ready to go home yet.

She cried as she held up her ballot. On it was written "Henry."

"Good Pilgrim, your devotion shows by far too mannerly and too courtly. Saints have hands, which pilgrims may touch, but kiss not." She held up her ballot and kissed it. "Sorry Romeo, this has to be honestly one of the hardest votes I have and will -ever- cast. It's not that I don't want to vote you, it's that I don't want to get voted out myself. I'm so sorry Henry, this vote shouldn't be for you."

She felt awful as she placed the ballot in the box. And then she sadly trudged back to her seat.

But Elisabeth needn't have felt too bad, because Henry was about to do the same thing to her. And his vote had a bit more bite to it. He tended to be a little more cynical about the whole situation than she was.

"What's here? A cup, clos'd in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been her timeless end."

He held up his vote for Elisabeth and smiled.

"High school English class, Liz. Or Juliet... whatever name you go by these days. Thou hast poisoned thy chances in the game, stabbed thy Romeo in the breast and snuffed your friendship's torch with a militia's tirade of schemes and violent advances. You're cute, honey. Call me in five years."

With that, he placed his ballot in the box. He walked back to his seat, and took his place.

And the vote was ready to be revealed.

"I'll go tally the votes," said Jeff.

He walked over to retrieve the bamboo urn, and soon returned to his place behind the podium.

"When I read the votes," he said, "The decision is final. And the person voted out must leave the Tribal Council area immediately."

He nodded, and opened the urn. He reached in and pulled out the first vote.

He looked at it for a second, then revealed...

"Elisabeth."

The young girl nodded in the front row, looking intently at the ballot that Jeff held in his hands. But it wasn't her name that she was reading. No, she was reading the -other- name that was written on the card... To the left of her name, someone had written "Juliet."

And Elisabeth knew it was all over. Because nobody was supposed to know about Juliet and her Romeos. Now she knew she was done. Someone had been leaking information.

"Second vote," said Jeff.

He opened it, turned it around and revealed.

"Elisabeth."

Sure enough, another Juliet vote. This one didn't even say her name. It simply said "Juliet."

Elisabeth sighed and reached down for her teddy bear. Why bother drawing this out any longer? She was ready to go home. Now she was just waiting for that fifth vote.

"Third vote," said Jeff.

He paused for a moment... then revealed.

"Henry."

Henry noded silently from the back row. He wasn't surprised. Not in the slightest. He figured Amy would probably vote for him. He had already pegged her as unstable, just as she had pegged him. The two of them simply did -not- get along.

"Fourth vote," said Jeff, pulling it out.

He revealed.

"Henry."

Henry nodded again, not saying a word. He just stared at the ballot box, hoping upon hope that his name was not going to come up any more times. Two votes was enough. He hoped it stopped there.

"Two votes Henry," added Jeff, "Two votes Elisabeth."

The Satos looked on as Jeff reached into the ballot box again. He pulled out the fifth vote and slowly revealed it to the tribe.

"Elisabeth."

Elisabeth bit at her lip, impatiently, as Jeff then pulled out the sixth vote.

"Elisabeth," it read. And again, this one also had the word Juliet to the left of her name. Another stupid Juliet vote. She hated that name now. She really did.

"That's four votes Elisabeth," said Jeff, "Two votes Henry."

Elisabeth nodded as Jeff reached into the ballot box.

He pulled out the seventh vote.

The tribe looked on in uneasy anticipation as Jeff stared at the ballot for a long while. He appeared to sigh...

...Then he revealed.

"And the first person voted out of the game."


"-Elisabeth.-"


Elisabeth squinted to read the ballot. It was another Juliet vote, of course. Another stinking Juliet vote. It turned out to be from Henry, and it turned out to be the fatal one.

"Elisabeth," said Jeff, "Please bring me your torch."

The young girl scowled slightly as she picked up her bear and then her backpack. But she didn't hold any grudges. She had played hard and she had been voted out. No need to whine about it. She simply turned and waved to her teammates, offering them a quick "I love you guys." She had a special smile for Lance, as she was going to miss him very much. She was going to miss her sports buddy... and hoped he would be okay.

And then she was standing in front of Jeff.

"Elisabeth," he said, slowly snuffing her torch, "The tribe has spoken."

With that, Elisabeth was gone. She slowly exited the temple and walked down a lonely path to the shore, teddy bear still in hand. A boat waitied for her at the beach, and she was soon whisked away into the night. In moments, the youngest player in the game was gone.

And now... the Satos were down to seven.

"Well," said Jeff, with a slight grin on his face, "I guess that tonight's vote proves just one thing in this game."

He nodded, smiling.

"You can give your all in the challenges, be your team's MVP, stand out like an Olympic athlete... and it -still- won't do a thing to keep you safe. So maybe things are a -little- more clear cut around here than you guys would like to believe."

He now placed his hands behind his back.

"I -will- say this though. You lose your first challenge, and then you vote out your best athlete in the process. Interesting strategy. We'll see how it plays out tomorrow."

He shrugged, and then sent them off into the night.

One by one the seven Satos filed out of the shrine... out of Tribal Council... and walked back to their camp. And as usual, no -one- person led the walk. The tribe simply walked as a pack. But to a man, they all hoped that tomorrow would go a -little- more smoothly than their first three days in Okinawa. They could use a -little- less drama around camp.

Because otherwise, this game was going to be a disaster.








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Visit the Okinawa Official Homepage for Elisabeth's final words and all cast bios. Also check out the Okinawa Message Board if you want to submit questions for Elisabeth's Early Show appearance. Her post-game interview is already up on the board!

Episode two ("Unhappy Campers") coming next week.