The Set Up

N/A

TOBY

I wake up with a groan. Yeah, I was kind of up late last night talking with Moira online. I would have much rather preferred to do it in person, but her team was kind of uptight and mental. It's not fair because she's so close and I can't even see her? What kind of bullshit is this?

We're all staying in a suite which is nice because it means we each get our own room. It's nice to not have to share a bed for a change or sleep on a couch. My own, big, large, glorious bed. Sigh. I pass Ryan's bedroom on the way to the bathroom and notice she's sharing it. What's even more curious is that she and Coty are basically spooning. His arms are around her, cuddling her tightly, and she's all passed out contentedly. I wouldn't have pinned them as an item at all. I shrug, and go to take a piss. That's when things got a little chaotic.

"What happened? What am I doing here?" I hear T practically yell. Guy's having a meltdown. So maybe it wasn't him who was into her. I guess it was the other one. Even that didn't make sense though because Cory is so...cool. Really, he could do a lot better than Ryan.

"Nothing happened." She says.

"We didn't...."

"No, we didn't do anything. Just fell asleep. I had a bad night, Cory helped me through it. That's it."

Uh huh, not sure I'm buying it as completely innocent. I mean, maybe nothing happened, but something happened if you know what I mean.

"I-." T starts. "Ipod!"

That's when I got out of the bathroom just in time to see him bolt out of Ryan's room, grab a hold of Ipod who's on her way to the kitchen, and they're signing something fierce. I can pick up a few words. I'd been trying to study up on the language, but it's fast and hard to follow sometimes. Most of it is common sense though. She's pissed, that much is clear by the huge frown on her face. He's desperate because his eyes are wide and almost pleading as he explains whatever to her. I'm pretty sure I see something that resembles "boyfriend", and I get the jist of the fight.

T's got it bad for Ipod. I can tell by the way he gawks and looks all dopey every time they talk. I think she's interested in him too, but in denial. If it wasn't a big deal that he woke up in Ryan's bed because she had a boyfriend and didn't care, she wouldn't be so damn pissed. That's just my opinion though. No one has to listen to me.

Finally T responds verbally as Ipod turns away from him. "I know, but I thought something was happening. You can't tell me I'm the only one noticing."

I don't hear her reply because she's no doubt doing her thought speaky thing and guarding it well. He's right though. He's not the only one noticing either.

He sighs and leaves the room. "Well if it ever does matter, that's what really happened. Just thought you should know."

She stomps off to the balcony, slamming it shut on her way out. I get why she's frustrated. She's got a boyfriend. From what I know of the guy, he sounds kind of like a dick, but she says she loves him anyway. They have a pretty deep history together after all, but T and her obviously have a super tight bond. Whatever right?

Ryan comes out and she's all ready to go and run or something. I guess we have some free time since we haven't seen any instructions yet, so she leaves the room. I decide now is a good time to take advantage of the shower, and take a nap. Yeah, I know, I just got up. Whatever.

I wake up several hours later to Ipod shaking me.

"Something is wrong. I haven't seen T or Ryan for a while."

"Maybe they're getting frisky." I tease. She scowls and looks like I just stabbed her in the stomach with a knife. Yeah, she's into him. "I'm kidding. They're probably each doing whatever."

"We need to find them. We have an envelope. It's time."

"Oh!" I get up immediately and go to the kitchen where a large manilla envelope is waiting. She didn't open it without us, but I wasn't going to hold back. Hello, it could be important.

"Ryan isn't going to like this." But she doesn't stop me either.

I shrug, obviously I don't care. I tear it open and dump out a bunch of papers. They're maps. Inside is a DVD.

I stick it into our entertainment system and we both watch. Chance Cagney appears on our screen.

"Aloha Introversion with a three! I hope you are enjoying your stay in beautiful Hawaii. I'm sure by now you are wondering where your other team members are. The hunters gathered up anyone who left the hotel room today and brought them to X marks the spot. I'd hurry, because the longer you wait, the less treasure you will find, and I'd hate for the next time you see your comrades to be in the hospital. Aloha."

The screen went black and I turned off the TV.

"They're missing?" I ask Ipod. She bites her lip and nods. We had to rescue them before they got hurt. We did. This makes me more than a little nervous. Ryan and T were always super dependable, and a lot stronger players than I had ever anticipated them being. Our whole team as a whole functioned a lot better when we were all together and on the same page I noticed. Now it was just me and Ipod. The guy who had an unreliable power, and the girl who couldn't communicate effectively. Crap.

I go to grab my bag and start filling it with all of the necessary stuff. I'm determined. "Let's do this."

CHALLENGE SIX

"Now that you're gone, feel like myself again. Grieving the things I can't repair and willing.

To let you blame it on me."

SIX - The Past Problems

RYAN

We spend about two days in Orlando. As much as I hate to say it, we needed that extra day to rest and regroup. Toby's been different for one, actually, we all have, and after what happened in the swamp I'm pretty weary of him. Actually, I'm not sure how to feel about any of the members on my team right now. They all are good people, don't get me wrong, but they're also closed off. No, I don't supply a lot of information about myself, but that's not quite the point. What I mean is, we all obviously do not trust one another, and that is not a good sign. In the thick of things, we pull through, but I don't know if it will be enough to make us win.

Our next challenge is waiting by the door of our hotel room. Someone obviously slipped it through the door crack. I pick it up and rip open the envelope, and I'm curious, real curious. Everyone else is still asleep in the other room. Toby is sprawled on the couch. T/Cory are in the bed, and Ipod is in the other. Boys, I don't know why they can't share a bed with each other. The couch doesn't look too comfortable, but Toby insisted. Something about wanting to be up all night playing some stupid video game. Waste of time, but I didn't want to fight him too much on the issue because in the end, I'm not sure it would have been worth it. Irritating, sure, but so long as he continues to function appropriately, I won't be giving him grief over it. Now if that changes, that'll be another story.

Who you going to call? Ghost busters. Enter this address, and be ready to face a new kind of truth. Complete this task, and you'll be one step closer to your goal and your next treat. It’s a doozy.

I stare at the note, thinking about the picture I got as part of our last reward. I keep it close to me, and I don't let anyone else see it - anyone else see her. I don't think the others would understand if I told them after all. I'm sure they don't think much of me to begin with, but to find out that I have a daughter through a one-night-stand might destroy any credibility I have left. If we can win this, then I can be with her, and I can't wait. It was a mistake to have given her up to begin with, but at the time I would have done anything to keep my ex.

The others sleep for another half an hour. I don't want to rush anyone awake, but we should get moving soon. T is the first to wake up. He grabs his glasses and rubs his eyes, before getting up and using the bathroom. He showers and is ready in a decent period of time as well. I like that he's so considerate of time. Cory, not so much, but I suppose that's why T is the one who gets the morning hours and Cory is the night owl. Not to say Cory isn't fun and interesting. His laid back attitude is mildly refreshing, but he's also immature to the point where I want to sock him a lot.

"Stop making so much noise," Toby whines from the couch. He groans, looks at the clock and sees that it's around 9:30 in the morning, and decides to get up so he can use the bathroom next. He doesn't shower, but he gets ready all the same. Gross much? So long as he doesn't smell I suppose. Ipod, per usual, is last to get up. The girl is lazy as all get out.

I show the others the note, each looking it over curiously.

"The address is for some place in New Orleans." T comments. "Looks like we have another fairly long journey ahead of us."

Toby groans a little, he's kind of always complaining I've noticed. "I'm so tired of sitting in a damn car."

"We all are." I say, and start packing up my bag. "I'm not looking forward to this challenge. Let's get it over and done with as soon as possible. Plus I don't know if they've siced the hunters on us yet."

"Can't even eat breakfast first?" I sigh, because as much as I don't want to eat on the go, again, because fast food only does so much good for a person. I also don't want to waste more time. "We'll stop at a grocery store and pick up something? Or maybe a diner."

"Diner sounds divine. I would kill for something at least sort of resembling home cooking. Might be the closest we can get to it." Toby says with a sigh.

"We'll see how much time we have first."

Not too much longer and we're on the road again. We ended up spending more time at the hotel eating the complimentary breakfast it provided and then high tailed it out of there. So far we haven't had any high speed chases, and I'd like to keep it that way. I think our plan to avoid using our credit cards as much as possible is working. Toby is shotgun today, T is in the back curling up and looking miserable, and Ipod is jamming to her music. It's a long drive. It takes us a couple of days even because I don't speed, and because of some traffic issues. Oh and Toby wanted to get up and stretch, a lot.

We pull up in front of a large, abandoned house. I'm not looking forward to this. I always hated movies about hauntings, or scary movies in general. I also never enjoyed going on haunted house rides, despite my ex's insistance that they were 'fun'. I close my eyes and open the door.

"Alright, let's do this." As soon as we enter, hands are grabbing me. It takes me a moment to realize they belong to hunters. I struggle but these guy are strong. Eventually, a blindfold is placed over my eyes, and I'm taken away, shakled down, and then abandoned.

"Hello?" I call out. "Guys?"

"I'm here." I hear T's shakey voice. "Toby? Ipod?"

There's no reply. At least I'm not alone, but the lack of sight is throwing off my entire perception of where I am and the space I'm in. It makes me feel claustrophobic and if there's one thing I'm especially terrified of, it's that.

"Okay, stay calm, and figure out how we can get out of this." I mumble to myself. I try to feel around me, searching for something, anything, that will help me get out. I can move my arms a little and I grasp a hold of something hard and slimey. Gross. Then I realize that this hard and slimey thing is in the shape of fingers and I scream.

"What happened?" T asks. "Are you okay?"

"I think I just touched a dead person." "What? That's disgusting." But I'm not sure if he believes me. T is always so logical and he's still in this mindset that the show producers wouldn't allow for anything to actually hurt us or kill us. I on the other hand am not so sure. Ever since the night in the fun house, I've been skeptical.

"Do you think you can get out?" I ask. "Let me work on it, for a second but I...."

He trails off. "What is that light?"

"What light?" I ask. I can't see anything, not really, but then it appears in my line of vision as well. A light, and in such a way that I can see it perfectly despite my blindfold. It surrounds me, and then when it fades away I find myself sitting in the corner of a living room, completely alone. "T?" But there's no reply.

I slowly stand, curious, scared, but determined to figure out this puzzle and get the hell out of there so we can keep moving forward. I grab the handle of the door in front of me and open it to find my ex. Before I can get a word out, his hands are around my throat and he’s pushing me up against a wall, trying to kill me.

Struggling, I fight, hit, kick, do whatever I can to get him off of me, but it’s no use.

“You should have thought about this better. You know there is no way I’m going to let you bring that brat back into our lives. I never wanted to be a father. Should have just aborted her.”

I’m starting to get dizzy, but I’m able to mouth out three words I’d never once told him before. They’re hard to say. I never wanted to ever admit to him I had betrayed him, but now I suppose it doesn’t matter since he was never loyal to me to begin with.

“She’s not yours.”

His grip loosens on me. “What was that?”

I can speak now at least, and breathe. “She’s not yours.”

He then back hands me and I hit the wall. “Lying whore!”

I fight back, giving him one solid kick into the knees. He falls, and I run for the door. I run through the halls, they’re all blank and desolate. They kind of remind me of a dream. I glance back to see if he’s following me, and I run into a wall. Only when I turn back forward I notice it’s not actually a wall I ran into but a guy. A big, strong, guy because his chest felt like a wall.

He’s familiar, and it takes me a moment to figure out where I know him from. He’s the one I cheated with, my one night stand.

“Ryan, we need to get out of here and get back to the others.” He says.

“What are you…?”

“I need you to focus. You’ve admitted your biggest secret. Now you can get through the door.”

“Get through the…door?”

“Focus.” He whispers, and then disappears into nothing else.

Focus on what? I close my eyes, an idea forming in my mind. If I can go back in time, maybe I can go back to the room as though this never happened. Time passes by and I float back through the hallway, back to the room and then through the light into the blackness.

“STAY OUT OF THE LIGHT T!” I scream.

“Huh?” I hear him say. “What light?”

I’m panting, shivering, and then I feel strong, yet gentle hands on my upper arms. I try to get free but I’m still restrained.

“It’s me,” T says and pulls off my blindfold. “Are you okay?”

I nod. “what happened? I don’t….”

“Creatures of the dark, messing with your head no doubt. They have a tendency to uh, feed off of your biggest fears.”

“Did you see anything?”

“Hmm?” He asks and completely blows off my question. With a small hand gesture, I’m released from my chains. “Let’s see if we can find the others. They can’t be far right?”

CHALLENGE FOUR: SHIFTING

"The secret side of me I never let you see. I keep it caged, but I can't control it, so stay away from me, the beast is ugly.

I feel the rage and I just can't hold it."

FOUR:

Toby Smyth

Long car rides are boring. I can't get my internet to work because we're constantly moving, I've beaten all of the games on my laptop and I can't download anymore because the internet isn't working. I've seen every movie I own. Basically I'm left with staring out the window and listening to the radio, sleeping, or talking. None of those sound appealing to me. I should also add that my ass hurts.

We try to eat some decent food at least. You know, none of this filling up on only McDonald's and Burger King crap. Don't get me wrong, I love it all, but it makes me feel like I ate about a ton of bricks. Cory got the brilliant idea to keep fruit and jerky in our stock constantly. I swear, he's a genius, funny as hell too. I still don't know yet if it's a made up fictional personality, or if they really are two separate people in the same body. Time will tell I suppose, but I kind of with Cory would make more appearances than T would. The guy has no spine. Yes, he did save my life, but he's so quiet I sometimes I want to punch him to see if he'd do anything about it. Makes me sound mean, I know, and I'm usually not, but for some reason he just rubs me the wrong way. I think it has something to do with his 'poor me' walk. Dad always talked about it back home. The people who wallow in their own misery and don't do nothing to change it. That's what T makes me think of. I don't know what he did, but he needs to buck up.

Three days of driving and we arrive in beautiful Florida. I'd never been away from home before. My family didn't go on vacation, too expensive. We sometimes would take day trips in state, but it never amounted to anything all that crazy or fun. Then when my 'condition' showed up, we didn't even leave the city. Let me tell you something about my home town: it's small and old fashioned. Like if I'm going to buy anything fun or interesting, I get it at Wal*Mart which isn't even in my town. It's in the next town over. The movies we get are all delayed. I'm sure you all can see why I got into my internet pirating hobby. Funny thing is, my mom fully encouraged it because it saved us money and kept me occupied.

I didn't steal everything. I bought a lot of games and things. I did have a job, and I had to have money and a legit copy of Final Fantasy XIV to get that up and running for so long. Without that, I wouldn't have met Moira. I love her, and my life wouldn't be the same without her. I'm still amazed that she's a part of the game. Amazed and worried. We are on different teams, and even if winning would change my life, I'm pretty sure it would change hers too. As much as I want to cure my problem, I also want her safe and happy.

We park at the coordinates on the GPS, which is the entrance to a park in the Everglades. Exciting huh? Only not really. I'm not looking forward to this one bit. It's hot and kind of sticky and it smells weird. Though I can't complain about getting up to stretch my legs. I rub my butt too, massaging out the numbness. Ipod sees me doing this and gives me a weird scowl.

"What?" I ask her. She only shrugs and turns to stretch. Then bounces off to start blabbing at T in sign language. Those two are always talking as though it's their secret language. I'm not quite sure how to feel about this. I don't like secrets. I spend so much of my life in them, but complaining about it also makes me feel like a hypocrite. I guess I just hate that they're so necessary. They're shady.

"Okay, we're here and there's supposed to be something to tell us what we're going to be doing exactly." Ryan says and she's searching for our instructions. She's always business. It's more or less annoying. Even when we stayed at a hotel, and that's saying if we did because she always wanted to keep trading with the driving so we were constantly on the go. Until Cory threw a fit over needing some solid sleep before we drove off the road. Anyway, at the hotel, she made sure to get us in bed early and up at the ass crack of dawn. Kind of irritated me because I finally had an internet connection that would let me do more than send off a fast email. I really want to kill something. I feel stressed and overwhelmed which usually leads to bad things.

Games have always been what kept me normal. School stressed me out a lot and so did my chaotic social life. I'd come home and play a game, and get to be me. Being the star football/basketball/baseball/track/golf/tennis player, I was naturally rather popular in school. Not to mention the fact that I have amazing abs. Girls were always all over me, but I was never allowed to date because of my 'condition'. It's also why I couldn't go to parties. Day trips to the mall or the movies, sure, but no parties, and I had to leave school dances early. An hour of fun didn't make it worth my time. Thus, games.

“This might help.” I point to a plaque nearby that has the big ol' Escape Show logo on it. We all crowd around it. “In the swamp you'll find what you need. A treasure to help you with your deeds.”

“And how are we going to find a treasure in the middle of one of the largest swamps in America?” T asks with a frown. “Especially since we don't know what we're looking for.”

Ryan investigates the plague some more and finds something that resembles a tracking device attached to the back. There's a red light that blinks every so often and a quiet beep to go along. “This perhaps?”

“Let's get moving.” I make a motion for her to step forward. “The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can have whatever the awesome reward is.” Not to mention I was curious as to what this treasure was.

“Um, g...guys?” T says in a shaky voice.

“Hunters!” Ipod spits it out for him and points behind us just as a group of suited men and women get out of a car. Unlike before, they don't hesitate to start running right off the bat.

Ryan bolts and we all follow. I have no idea if we're going the right way though because the beep is becoming even more spread apart than before.

“We need to go in a new direction.” I shout after her. “Turn around!”

“And get caught?” She shouts back, glancing over her shoulder at me.

“Pick a new direction then, just do something!”

“I think we're losing them,” T adds.

Ryan turns a sharp right on the path and then another so we start heading back towards where we came. At least we're on another trail, and she slows her pace as she tries to figure out which way to go next. We go left now. Stop. Turn around and go right. I'm not sure she knows what she's doing, but I also have realized that telling Ryan she's wrong and incapable is a bad idea. She's too determined and way too high strung. The only person who has the balls to stand up for her is Cory. I try, but she doesn't respect me enough to listen. Too bad he's sleeping, or wherever the hell he goes when he's not present.

We keep heading down this path, the beeping on our tracking device is becoming more steady and more frequent. Then of course we hit a dead end.

“Are you kidding me?” I groan, panting. “Now what?” In front of us is gross, smelly, swamp. Ryan takes a step towards it and the beeping becomes more excited. Figures right? That we'd have to go into the middle of a nasty ass swamp.

“I doubt it's deep. We can swim.” Ryan suggests.

“Gaters,” T says. “I don't think it'll be so simple.”

“I see canoes.” Ipod says. She's always the observant one. I've yet to see her miss a thing. Sure enough, there are canoes not too far off. They're on the other side of the protective railing.

Without any hesitation, Ryan hops on over and lands in the water. She climbs into one of the canoes. I follow after, I've never been in one before, but I figure if I'm going to be safe with anyone it'd be her. I'm not a fan of the water. Drowning scares the crap out of me. I know how to swim and all, but unless I'm in a pool, I don't want anything to do with it. If I can't see what's going on around me, then I'd rather not have anything to do with it.

The other two are close behind us. Ryan and I are already off, following the now persistent beeping. Thirty feet or so and it's one solid sound. It's giving me a headache, and that is never a good thing. They're another trigger for my ability.

“Who's going down there to-.” I begin.

“I got it! Then I can tell you if something is going on.” Ipod says and starts to strip off her shirt so she can hop into the water. I'm not complaining. T of course is trying to not look and be all gentlemanly but I have a feeling he's not complaining either. She jumps in and goes under. “I think I see something. Like a light or something.”

We all watch, our eyes fixed on the water. There's bubbles, the canoes start rocking, and hunters appear at the shoreline. They don't get into the water, but they don't need to yet. One of them points and a gust of wind blows over us, threatening to tip us into the water as well.

“Something has my leg!”

T stands up and jumps into the water, probably without even thinking first. The wind gusts are getting stronger, one hunter walks into the water, and it makes me think of Terminator a little too much. I shiver. And that's the last thing I remember beyond falling out of the canoe and hitting my head against something in the water.

When I come to again, I'm in a bed, and I know what happened instantly without anyone having to say a word. They all had the same unsure, shocked, scared expression.

“What the hell did you do?” Ryan finally demands. “You could have killed us all! Why didn't you tell us that you turn into some kind of a monster?”

“Do we know what you can do?” I snap back. “I barely know anything about any of you. Why should I share all my deep dark secrets?”

“Because this one could have killed us!”

“Ryan,” T says and shakes his head. “Let's not scream at each other.”

I think this is the first time I've liked the guy. Wait, no the second time. The first was when he saved me from the box. Without him I'd be dead.

“It started when I was about thirteen. I was attacked by a dog, blacked out, and my parents were freaking out because I turned into whatever it is I turn into. I don't remember anything that happens when it does. I just go by what people tell me, and I guess it's bad.” Real bad, and I hate it. People don't tend to think I feel remorse though. After all, the monster is me, right?

Ipod grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze before she hugs me. I like her, but she also seems like the only sane person in the group.

“So what happened?”

“You went unconscious.” T says. He's pacing now. “I tried to pull you back onto the canoe, but then you started changing. Your body shifted, got larger, became this weird purple and black color, and wings.” He shudders. “You saved Ipod. The hunters were holding her under. I don't know if you....”

Killed anyway, got it, but I did some damage. I groan, my head hurts. It usually does right after. “We get the thing?”

“We did,” Ryan says. I can tell she's still pissed as hell. “We were waiting for you to come to first before opening it. It's some kind of a box.”

“Well, I'm up now.” I mumble.

She nods and grabs a white box. She pops off the lid and holds it for all of us to see inside. Inside are five envelopes, each with our names on it, a brass key, four tickets for Disney World, four flashlights, and an LCD screen.

“A gift for you. Something personal, something fun, something to protect you, and something for your future.” Ryan read a small strip of notebook paper. “These must be for protection.” She points to the flashlights. “We used these against the hunters in the fun house. I'm not sure what this thing does.” She points at the screen. “I guess we're going to Disney World though.” She then hands out all of our envelopes.

Ipod opens hers first and smiles as she sees a picture of what has to be her family and her boyfriend at a picnic. She reads a note. “Remember your goals.”

T opens his next and chews on his lip. He doesn't show anyone the picture. “My note says the same thing.”

I rip open my envelope, curious as to what I'll have. A picture of my family no doubt. I miss them, but at the same time, I don't like the pressure they've put on me to 'get better'. I'm surprised to find a picture of Moira. My heart beats a little faster, and I smile like a nerd.

Ryan opens hers and scowls. In fact, I think I see tears in her eyes and she quickly leaves.

“Are we done now?” I ask.

“For now.” T says. “I think we can all use some sleep though.”

I nod, and reach for my laptop so I can send Moira an email. I can talk to her, and I don't even want to question why. If I mention it, I'm afraid someone might try to take her away from me.

“Thinking of you. I just wanted you to know. Love you.”

I put her picture under my pillow, but I never let go of it. Then I fall back asleep.

CHALLENGE THREE: IT'S MY BODY, I'LL DO WHAT I WANT TO

"Here's the situation: been to every nation. Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do. You know my motivation given my reputation.

Please excuse me, I don't mean to be rude."

THREE

CORY RANOVER

We walk into the carnival air and I'm all grins. There's a lot to be proud of, and I'm especially happy that my bro was able to step up to the plate so well. Good kid, and he's earned his time to rest. Ryan is quiet, Toby is quiet, and Ipod is trying to sign at me. I put my hands over hers to stop her.

“I'm not T hon, I'm sorry.” I say quietly.

“I'll tell him later.” She says. “So what now?”

“I need to unwind,” Toby says. “And eat something. My stomach hurts.”

Ryan's chewing on her lower lip. I remember this look. Ryan and I met a lifetime ago, once, and only once. She was just as uptight then as she is now. Obviously she doesn't recognize me because the last time we saw each other, I wasn't in T's body. I was in my own. As much as I want to say something to her, that she's not as alone as she probably feels, that she isn't with complete strangers, I keep it to myself. The last time I saw her, I'm pretty sure she wanted to make sure it was the last time. Our relationship is definitely a story.

“Some down time would be nice.” I agree with Toby. I nudge her, trying to get her to bend a little, but I'm nervous. I don't want to give myself away. Though, she doesn't remember my name, so that could be a good sign.

She looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Did you just touch me?”

I poke her shoulder, “I've touched you twice now. Yes.”

“Don't.”

I back away from her and scowl. Maybe she did. Maybe I should ask her?

“Sorry,” I mumble. “Loosen up a little though okay?”

She rolls her eyes. “Go play. Let's meet at the entrance in about two hours. Then we can figure out where we're going to sleep for the night.”

“Awesome!” I pause. “Can I huge you first?”

“Why?” She raises an eyebrow. “I don't like being hugged by strangers.”

That answered that question.

“When we get to know each other better then,” I say. “You get a hug. Go ahead and give it when you're ready. I just think you could use one.”

“I like your brother better.” She says and walks away from the group. Toby bolts in the opposite direction as her and Ipod looks at me while scratching her chin.

“You're weird.” She says with a smile. “I like hugs.” She comes up and gives me one, and I can't help but laugh. “You going to be okay or do you need a chaperone?”

“I should be asking you if you want an escort.” I wink.

“I'm a tough cookie. But I'll be at the bouncy castle if you need me.”

“Cool,” I nod and watch her leave. Not gonna lie, both her and Ryan are hot. Ryan is more petite in size, and definitely more curvy and sultry. Ipod on the other hand is bubbly and adventurous. She's got long legs and good proportions. You can tell she works out a lot too. I watch her go and shake my head. They can go on my to-do list for later. I need to focus on the now.

Two hours is a lot of time to kill on my own. Yes, I understand why everyone wants their own space right now, but this would have been a good time to really get to know each other. Whatever right? I start by getting a corn dog and watching the locals. I win myself a few liters of pop: Coke, Fanta Orange, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper. Should be good for while we're traveling right? I'm thinking practically, though I'm devouring the Mountain Dew now.

I make eyes with a local girl. She's an itty bitty blonde thing, cute as a button, and she's doing the flirtatious smile thing too. After about two different booths of her practically stalking me, I finally approach her coolly. It was easy for me to become confident in my brother's body. He's a good looking guy. Shorter than me by about five inches, but he has a charming smile and he takes care of himself. We both have the same blue eyes too, so the adjustment wasn't difficult or traumatizing for me. If he had been a fat slop, or a twig, that might be a different story. He is a little thinner than me as well, but the muscle tone makes up for it. I don't feel weak. I don't feel pathetic. I've almost always felt like myself. It's made the whole situation easier to manage for me.

Her eyes roam over me and she smiles. “Hey there.”

“Hello, I kept noticing you were looking at me. Was wondering if I got something in my teeth,” I tease her.

“I didn't mean to stare.” She says with a blush. “I just notice strangers pretty fast. We don't see a lot of them come through here. I've seen a lot of them tonight, but I especially noticed you.”

I can tell she knows how to play the game, which is good. I don't like girls who are oblivious in the ways of 'hooking up'. I avoid them actually because I don't want to be one of those 'assholes' who manipulates and then runs. I want my fun, sure, but I don't want to devastate anyone to get it. We walk around the carnival, looking for something fun to do, or a good place to go and connect.

Yes, I realize I'm in my brother's body. This has always been a stress relief for me,among many other complicated factors. I'll leave it at I have some baggage I'm dealing with, you know, just like everyone else on the planet does. It's not a big deal. When it comes to T and I? We have a don't ask, don't tell sort of policy. I don't go out of my way to tell him what I do in my free time beyond vague details. He has yet to ask for specific ones.

I think deep down he knows what's going on, and he doesn't want it to be confirmed. In his mind, he's still a virgin, and I suppose if we go based on the fact that he hasn't had sex yet, yeah, that's true. I know it's important to him to fall in love and all of that sappy mushy stuff. I've been there, done that, and it had its ups and its downs. It was a good life experience, and I'm sure some day he'll have it. If he knew some of the things I did in his body, he would probably have a meltdown though and he might stop believing in it himself. I don't want to see that kind of destruction happen. Naturally, whatever I do, I'm extra, extra careful.

I have rules in place. One is no sleep-overs. Two is no psychos. Three is going out of my way to go to a place where I will for sure never see anyone during the daytime. The morning hours are his, and I don't know if he'd have any clue how to handle a run-in with a girl he's never met before. Like I said, meltdowns, and T is an expert at those.

“How about this one?” I point to the tunnel of love. She puts her hands on her hips and raises an eyebrow at me. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“If you're thinking you're going to have all the fun, you've got another thing coming.” She says matter of factly, and I'm amazed by her boldness.

“Then let's just focus on you,” I say with a shrug. She raises both her eyebrows this time. I think I confused her, especially since my tone was nothing near sarcastic or mean. I nod at her encouragingly and take her on the ride. I'll keep this PG and just say she had a good time. That's kind of all you need to know right? She's clinging to my arm when we get off the ride, almost like she's afraid of letting me go.

I look down at her and give her a big, toothy, smile. “Thanks for indulging me.”

“Night's still young.” She says with a wink. “Are you sure you want to say goodbye so soon? I'd really like to return the favor.”

I glance at my watch and think this over. I'd say I have about another hour before I need to meet up with the others. There were a few other things I want to do too of course. One of them is get something for T. He did well. He needs some kind of positive reinforcement. I know I shouldn't get too much stuff because the space is limited, but there are a few things essential for traveling. If there's one thing I know, it's road trips.

“If we keep it quick, I have a curfew in half an hour.” I say.

“Then let's go play in the mirror maze.” She smirks and starts to drag me towards the fun house. I don't move a muscle. There were parts of that adventure I wasn't present for, stuff I'll hear about later, but the stuff I was around for was enough to scar me from going into mirror mazes for life. “Something wrong?”

“I already went into the fun house, it was kind of lame.” I say, trying to stay cool and not let on that my knees are shaking. “What about the bouncy castle?”

“Too many kids.” She pouts at me. “Did you see the princess fun house, or the haunted one?”

“The haunted one.” The fun house certainly didn't look anything like a princess castle to me.

“Did they finish remodeling it? I was told it was closed.” She shrugs. “Sad that it's lame. It used to be so cool! I'll show you the princess one. Trust me, you'll like this.”

I sigh and let her take me. The outside of this house is like a castle, pink is everywhere, and it's not exactly what I would call sexy. Still, she's a local, and they tend to know more about what's cool and what isn't better than anyone else I've ever met before. She hands the clerk a ticket and a twenty, and we waltz in.

“What was that for?” I ask. My paranoia is starting to warm me that maybe this isn't such a good idea because the clerk shuts the door behind us.

“Just insuring we'll have some privacy.” She says and drags me through a tunnel, over some shaking steps, and down a slide. She kisses me at the bottom of the slide and plays with T's trademark cowlick. I've tried I don't know how many times to get rid of it. It's near impossible. For whatever reason, his bangs just want to fly up, ya know?

I close my eyes, trying to relax. I have nothing to be so paranoid over. We're on a break. We have some time off. I'm fine.

“You're so tense.” She says. “Let me help you loosen up a little.”

“Please,” I whisper. I just want to be lost. I don't want to think about any of this stuff, about life, anymore. I want distraction. I want to be happy. I want to be me, or as much of me as I can.

With another kiss, she helps me up off of the slide, and takes me into the mirror maze. While the other had been dark, with smoke, and trippy lighting affects. This one was bright with neon pink and green brightening up the world. Day and night difference, let me tell you. I actually feel safe for the first time since I entered the attraction. She pushes me up against a mirror and kisses me, hard. Her fingers are flying over the buttons on my shirt and then over T's ripped abs and then down....

I have about ten minutes to kill when it's all said and done. We go our separate ways, and I start to search the games to see if there's any other cool prizes I can win. I'm at the entrance with about five minutes to spare. In my arms I have a large duck pillow-pet thing for T which should help with his motion sickness. I'm the first one there, Ryan is next and she's walking with Ipod oddly enough, and Toby is late by about ten minutes.

“What is that?” Ryan asks, and points to my goods.

“Snacks for the ride,” I gesture at the candy and soda-pop I've won. “Pillow.” I hold up the toy. “Do you got a problem with it?”

She stares for a moment and then shakes her head. I notice Ipod has a small plush, pink, unicorn in her hands that she's wringing the life out of. Toby also has something, but I can't quite make out what it is.

“Let's get going,” Ryan says at last. Then I see she has a small stuffed banana. Hilarious right? We go back to our car and see an envelope taped the windshield. “Looks like we have our next set of instructions.”

AT LAST - PART TWO

A collaboration with Team Promethiad.

Part Two

She liked the feel his hand against hers. It was comforting and somehow familiar, but at

the same time a little exhilarating. “The back seat sounds like a perfect place for Panda.”

"Yeah, Panda likes to roll that way I'm thinking." He said with a smirk. They got into the

little boat, put Panda in the back where it would be nice and safe, and he casually placed

his arm around her as they ventured into the dark tunnel. At first, yes, he was a little

afraid. After the encounter with the hunters, he couldn't help but feel a little on edge.

Once they were completely surrounded by darkness and there was nothing more than the

sound of the water splashing against the walls, his body relaxed against her.

She jumped a little when Toby’s arm went around her shoulders, but then she relaxed.

Nothing was going to hurt her here. She tried to choke back the panic that was

threatening to rise. She had to remind herself that this was nothing like the little room

she had been trapped in, and that Toby wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. She

snuggled closer to him, willing herself to calm down. She took a deep breath. God,

he smelled good! “This is nice,” she commented, and then cursed the way her voice

quavered a little.

"Mmm," he agreed. His arm tightened around her protectively as they sat there. He could

sense she was feeling the same kind of fear he was. He was determined to help her forget

those nightmarish moments. Granted, he didn't know what had happened to her exactly,

but if it was anything like his experience...He shivered slightly.

A glow of light came up ahead as they were coming up on a 'scene' of some kind. No

doubt something cutesy with unicorns like the tunnel from back home. In the past he'd

always gone on it with his friends and made hooting and howling noises to annoy the

lovebirds who were no doubt making out. They'd always laugh at the low-end displays

that reminded him of the cardboard panoramas he'd made for class back in elementary

school.

Now though, his mind was only on her. As the light grew brighter, he used it to look at

her face and really study it. God she's so freaking beautiful. Gently, he cupped her chin

with his hand and tilted her face towards his. "I promise I'm not going to let anything

happen to you ever. If you're ever in trouble, I'll find you and I'll help you. I will find a

way to."

Was he going to kiss her? He was staring at her so intensely. She held his gaze. Where

was a time-stopper when you needed one? This would be the perfect moment to

freeze. “You know I’m telepathic, right?” she blurted. Great job, Moira. Way to kill the

moment.

"Tell me what I'm thinking," he said with a smirk. Close your eyes.

“Okay,” was all she said, smiling at him as she complied and closed her eyes.

He laughed a little and then leaned down and kissed her right as they started passing the

lit up 'scene'. This was his first kiss, so he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but his

lips were on hers, and he had no intention of pulling them away just yet.

Her heart leaped into her throat when his lips touched hers. She didn’t know what to do.

She reached one hand up and experimentally ran her fingers through his hair. It felt like

silk. A small sound escaped her throat, and she wrapped her fingers around his hair and

used it to pull him closer.

Wow, she wanted more. Good sign. He adjusted his lips, opening them slightly just like

he had seen in more than one movie. After all, that felt more than natural to him. He tried

to keep it slow despite the urge to want to rush the movement. At the same time, he did

just want to saver it. His hands rested on both of her hips. That felt like the only safe

place for him to put them.

She opened her mouth slightly and began to move it slowly against his. She really hoped

she was doing this right. She reached her other arm up behind his neck. Kissing him was

even more amazing than she had imagined! And she had certainly thought about it a lot...

After a long minute or two passed, he pulled back needing some air. Wow. And he hoped

she was reading his mind then because he wasn't sure he could say a word.

She opened her eyes when he pulled away from her. “Are you okay?” she asked, a little

worried. Had she done something wrong?

"I'm fine." He said. "I mean, wow. I just...that was my first..." He gave a small blush, glad

it was dark again so she couldn't see it and then leaned in to kiss her again.

She wondered what he was going to say. She was tempted to read his mind to find out,

but she didn’t want to invade his privacy. She didn’t like to read minds unless she was

asked to, or unless she had to. All thought of what he was going to say halted when his

mouth met hers again. Then all that she could think about what how he felt...how he

tasted...

He truthfully didn’t want to admit that she was his first kiss even though he was pretty

sure he'd already said something about it a few times before. Still, it was more or less a

little embarrassing for his studly jock image. After all, he lied to his friends about it a lot

just to avoid being teased or thrown onto the school hussy.

He went back to doing what felt right, his arms around her, his mouth open to hers, eyes

closed. This was a dream he didn't want to wake up from, and a moment he didn't want to

see end. Their time together was limited. He had to make the most of it.

She was well aware that the ride would soon be ending. She knew that she shouldn't be

thinking about that, that she should just be enjoying the short time they had together.

She wanted to feel what he was feeling. She didn't want to invade his mind, but she

wanted to see if he was feeling what she was.

She tentatively opened her mind to his and was instantly assailed with emotions. It was

like everything she was feeling had been intensified a hundred times. It was so strong that

she had to pull away from him for a moment, to break the physical connection.

When she pulled away, he frowned a little. "I..." He paused for a moment, trying to figure

out the right thing to say. He wasn't quite sure if he should ask her what's wrong, or keep

the mood light. He decided to say something honest. "I love you."

She stared at him for a moment as short as a heartbeat, tears threatening to spill over her

cheeks. She was overwhelmed with emotions, both her own, and his. “I love you too,

Toby.”

He smiled, not noticing the tears because he was kind of an oblivious boy. He did notice

something was different about the way she was asking but he was afraid to ask about it.

His emotions had shifted. Was she not supposed to say it back? Was he upset because

she had pulled away in the first place? She was seriously confused. “What’s wrong?” she

finally asked him.

"I was gonna ask you that," he said, “Cause you're all like..." he paused trying to mimic

her facial expression only minus the tears. "I just thought I did something wrong."

“No no no!” She touched his arm, trying to reassure him. “You didn’t do anything

wrong.” She was embarrassed to admit what she had done. She hoped that he would still

trust her, still love her...Well, best to be honest, she supposed. “I, well, I wanted to feel

what you were feeling. When I opened my mind to you, I got kind of overwhelmed and

I couldn’t separate my emotions from yours. I kind of freaked out a little.” She cringed,

hoping that he wouldn’t yell at her or something.

"Huh?" He understood what she was saying, but at the same time he didn't. "Like, you

felt what I was feeling?" At least then she'd know he meant what he said and not think

it was some kind of line. Though he kind of figured she'd know better than that. "Look,

babe if you wanna go in my head, you can. I don't have anything to hide from you. But

you gotta tell me okay?"

“I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t technically go in your head. I couldn’t hear what

you were thinking. I can feel emotions—strong emotions—just by opening my own mind

to someone. It’s usually easier if I’m touching them. Since we were so close, I guess it

just kind of threw me. Please don’t be mad!”

"I'm not mad, but I'm confused. In some ways, it's easier this way because I'm not all too

good with words anyway. I can never say the right thing. You know me, I'm all rambles."

He gave her a weak smile. "So...find anything good then?"

“Wait, now I’m confused. Are you saying you want me to read your mind?”

"I'm sayin' it's a part of who you are," he mumbled. "I just want to know if you do go

in there okay? If you do it all incognito, then I'm gonna have issues. You wanting to

feel what I feel though, I...it makes things easier sort of. But I don't understand what's

happening. I...my powers aren't...like yours."

“Well...wait, what are your powers? You never told me.”

"Because they're bad and I didn't want you to think I was some kind of a psycho," he

mumbled. "I mean, you didn't tell me about yours until tonight."

“I didn’t want you to think I was crazy! It’s not something you just bring up. The only

reason I said anything tonight is because I assumed you must have some sort of powers

too, because everyone on this show does. Also because you said that if I was ever in

trouble, you’d find me. I was going to say that since I’m telepathic, I could like, send a

message to you telepathically or something.”

"Right and that's a fair assumption to make cuz its true. One of the conditions. I didn't tell

you for the same reasons and...mine is...bad." He bit his lip.

She reached over and took his hand. She wished she could see his face better, but it was

so dark on the ride. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Will you tell

me?”

He gave her hand a squeeze. "It started a few years ago. It’s why I keep to myself.

I...change into a monster. There's no rhyme or reason to it." He frowned as light

approached them and the end of the ride could be seen.

She noticed his frown and wondered what it meant. Instead, she asked the first thing that

popped into her head. “What kind of monster?”

"Big. Claws. Teeth." He bit his lip. "Wings. Mom practically shoved me on the show so I

can get fixed if I win."

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t really know what else to say. The ride had stopped, but she made

no motion to get out. “Can you control it?”

"No." He sighed and slowly stood, fully expecting her to dump him now.

She followed him out of the boat, pausing to grab the panda. She reached up and placed a

hand against his cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”

He faced her when she touched his cheek and closed his eyes. "Sorry I shouldn't be gettin

all..."

“All what?”

"Depressing? Emotional?" Stupid, but he didn't say that one.

“You’re not being depressing. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

He shrugged, "I don't know if I do or don't, but I kind of owe it to you don't I? You need

to know this stuff."

“I guess . . . but only if you feel comfortable telling me.” She paused as they got jostled

by others getting off the ride. "But maybe we should go somewhere else."

He nodded, beginning to walk aimlessly. "I will tell you anything you want to know. I

mean, I love you. Its not changing how I feel."

“I love you too. And nothing you tell me will change how I feel either.”

She threaded her way through the crowd, past various food and game booths as she

followed him. “So...um...I’m sorry, I have to ask. You don’t have to answer if you don’t

want to. Have you ever—hurt anyone? I mean, I know you’d never hurt anyone on

purpose, but you said you can’t control it...” she trailed off uncomfortably, hoping she

hadn’t upset him.

"I hurt someone." He nodded, his hand tightening on hers as they walked. He searched

for something new for them to do. "First time it was a stranger and the other it was my

brother."

She stopped walking and waited for him to look at her. “I’m so sorry.”

He stared down at her. "Thank you."

She hesitated for a moment, not sure whether she should say what she was thinking. “Just

so you know, I trust you. This doesn’t change anything. I know you’d never hurt me.”

"I hope not." He said, but he wished he could promise he never would. "I'll try."

“Even if you do, it doesn’t change anything, okay?”

He stared down at her and then the ground. "Let's...not worry about it then." He hoped

she meant it though because that was the one thing that petrified him the most.

She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Time to change the subject. She

tugged on his hand as she started walking again. “So, what do you want to do now?”

"More games? Or another ride?" He glanced at his watch. How much time did he have

until he was supposed to meet the others? "Or find a quiet corner and suck face some

more?" He had a lot he could say still, and a lot he wanted to ask her, but their time was

limited. "I just...I've missed you and you're here now and..."

“I’ve missed you too,” she said. “I hate that we’re finally here together and now we’re

going to be separated again. I don’t even know if we’re always going to be in the same

place so we can sneak away and meet again.”

"I hate that you're my competition. Because that means...something bad happened or

something you need is...and...I don't want to stop you from getting it Moira."

“I don’t regret what I did. My mom wanted me to go on this show. I’d rather see you

win.”

"What...what did you do and what...what's your prize?" He wasn't so sure his prize was

worth all of this, and he really didn't want to lose her.

“Well, part of my telepathy is that I can plant thoughts in others’ heads. It’s not

something I use often. I mostly use it when I need to communicate silently with someone.

But this time, I tried to plant an idea in someone’s head and pass it off as his own idea. I

didn’t do a very good job of it. Anyway it was the president of some cosmetics company

that still tests on animals. He agreed that if my team wins on this show, he would drop

charges against me and free the testing animals.” She waved it off like it was no big

deal. “But he doesn’t really have anything against me, and there are legal ways of freeing

those poor animals. I’m not worried.”

He nodded as he listened to her speak. That was pretty intense. He hated the idea of her

being in jail or in any kind of trouble.

She didn’t know what else to say. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the

time. “What time do you have to be back?” she asked.

"I've got about fifteen minutes I would say." He said with a heavy sigh. "I seriously hate

my team."

“Me too. Although, one guy did save me in there, so I guess I kind of owe him now or

something.”

He nodded. "Yeah, someone had to...save me too otherwise I would have..." He bit his lip

and looked away.

She pulled him around a corner where it was quiet and leaned up against the wall of a

booth. “What happened to you in there? I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you

don’t want to. We don’t have much time left together.”

"I almost died. There was a box. I couldn't get out. I almost drowned." He shrugged it off

as though it were nothing. He pulled her in close again, playing with her beautiful dark

hair.

“Oh God, Toby. That’s terrible.” She looked around for a place to set her panda. There

wasn’t one, so she had to put it on the ground. She hoped it wouldn’t get dirty. She put

her arms around Toby’s waist and rested her face against his chest. “I’m so glad you’re

okay. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I don’t want you to ever have to wonder."

“Me either,” she told him. “Ummm...I think it’s almost time to leave. I don’t want to

leave you, but I don’t want us to get stuck here either.”

He kissed her lips now. "We won't get stuck."

She smiled. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if we did get stuck here together...alone.”

He swallowed hard. She was so hot. "We need to stay in touch so we can meet up again

soon."

“Of course. I’d imagine we’d be in the same place most of the time. I brought my laptop

and my phone. Did you bring yours?”

"Of course! I couldn't leave without Petunia!" Which was the name he gave to his laptop,

his gaming machine. He couldn't live without it. He grinned. "We'll definitely be keeping

in touch as much as possible. We can have secret rendezvous! It'll be like a spy movie."

She smiled. “Sounds good.” She knew their time was almost up. Any minute now, their

teammates would come looking for them. She stood on her toes (he was so much taller

than her!) and locked her fingers in his hair. She pulled his mouth down to meet hers.

He closed his eyes, kissing her again and wrapping his arms around her fully. He didn't

want to ever stop, to ever let go, but he knew he'd have to eventually. He savored the

kiss, hanging onto the moment for as long as possible.

She could hear her teammates calling her name. “Damn it,” she murmured against Toby’s

lips.

He deepened the kiss one more time and then sighed. "You should go. Don't want you

in too much trouble. We'll see each other again, and I want you to email me about what

happened to you. I love you Moira."

“We’ll talk soon. I wish I didn’t have to go.” She could hear the voices getting closer.

Her team couldn’t find them together. They’d probably be mad. She picked up her panda

and, gripping it in one arm, kissed him fiercely one last time. “I love you too, Toby.” She

turned and disappeared around the corner.

He clung to her while he kissed her, still not wanting to let go. When she finally pulled

away and disappeared he once more had to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't some

kind of a dream.