Empire

Chapter six

  The next morning Indigo, Magenta, and Maroon knock on our door. I had almost forgotten about them. My team was the first to get back to base. That means we'll get some sort of advantage in the next round. One of the other teams came in this morning, I don't know which one it was.
  While Magenta does my makeup and Maroon does Flair's hair, Indigo tells us everything that happened while we were gone. "Lots of people liked your team," she tell us "Emorians tend to be the favourites, but the way you guys worked together really interested people. Also you didn't miss a single meal. None of the teams where pulled from the competition this year. It's going to be interesting seeing how everything turns out."
  It's hard to not be annoyed with her.
  "Indigo, what happens if you win?" I ask her to change the subject and because I want to know.
  "The top ten teams each get no taxes for their family for the rest of their lives" she says.
  "So if I win I go home?" I ask.
  "Yes." She says then keeps talking about random things.
  Magenta finishes with me and Maroon fixes my hair. The dress Indigo wants me to wear looks similar to what I normally wear.    Although she made it more "fashionable". I put it on, it's actually not that bad.
  "So what are we doing now?" I ask.
  "You'll need to do an interview and then you'll be boarding a plane to the next location." Magenta answers.
  "Where is the next location?" Flair asks.
  "Great Britain." says Indigo.
  When we get to the interview room our whole team is there. We're seated around a table beside our country mates. The same woman who interviewed us before is here.
  "So first of all I wanted to ask you about your teamwork, usually people take awhile to get used to each other and more than one person wants to lead. How did you cooperate so quickly and well?" She asks once we've sat down.
  Tayo answers her "Well I'm not sure what it was. But we all understood that Kimi and Quinn knew the most about where we were. So we all ended up looking to them." He's good at this, he makes it sound like he wants to be here.
  "Susan, that first morning with the bear. That was very brave of you to chase an angry Grizzly." she says.
  Oh it was a grizzly, I wouldn't be surprised if it had rabies too. It wasn't really a question, do I have to say something?
  She asks us more questions like how fun was it, and why we decided to build a raft instead of a canoe. The interview doesn't last much longer but she makes sure to ask everyone a question.   Amandi is the only one who doesn't answer.   Almost dying didn't make him less grumpy.
  After that Flair and I go back to our room to change and rest before we have to leave again.

  I think I'm getting used to flying. We land close to London. I'm not sure what time they're in because we never actually see anything.   When we get off the plane we get into a large carriage. The windows are closed and when we get off we're behind a building. Our room has a window but it's raining outside so we can't see anyone. I share a room with Flair again.
  When we're alone she asks "Can anyone ever be so bad that they can't be saved?"
  "No, never. Why do you ask?" I say.
  "Well I was trying to tell Grey about Jesus the other day, but he said he couldn't be saved.   "That he'd done too many things wrong." she says.
  I open my bible and read Romans 8:38-39
  "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our lord." "Now this is talking about people that believe in Jesus but I think it goes for everyone. No matter what you do you are never too far gone." I tell her.
  She smiles "That's good. I will tell him. Hey, do you mind if I read your bible sometimes?"
  "No not at all. I hope you do. Just make sure to hide it back in my bag when you're done." I say and hand it to her. She opens it up and starts reading right away. I'll have to try to find one for her. There are people that print bibles still but they're hard to find. But if I'm going to go all over the world anyway I might be able to find one.
  I think about copying one, but that's too risky. For a now we can share.

  Next day we have to get all dressed up again. This time, Indigo tells us, we have a theme so that our team will look like a team. We're supposed to wear outfits that match the forest so Flair is dressed up like a fox. Her dress is the same dark red as her hair and flows all the way down to the floor. Magenta did a good job with her makeup. Everything looks more slanted and mysterious and she almost has whiskers. Her hair is down and wavy but I think it's been thickened.
  "You look beautiful." I tell her.
  "Thank you" She says.
  I'm made to look like a wolf. I don't know how they did it but I do look like one. My blond hair has temporary grey highlights and is braided in the back. My lips are grey and my eyes are shadowy. It's pretty and thankfully doesn't look seductive. So far the whole team has been good with that.
  We're going to a ball tonight. I hope it's better than the last one.
  The room is smaller than the last one. By one wall is a long table. Behind it is a throne and on the throne is a queen. I wonder who she's supposed to be.
  The rest of my team is standing together in a corner. Flair and I walk over to join them. Tretan is a wolf too, although his costume is definitely more masculine than mine. All the grey in his outfit makes his usually light blue eyes look grey. Grey is a silver fox. Amandi and Tayo are bears, you don't have to do much to Amandi to make him look like a bear. Kimi and Quin are deer, Kimi looks better and more comfortable as a deer than Quin. They both don't look very happy to be matching. I wonder why they don't like each other. I'll have to ask Kimi.
  Once we're all here the second and third place teams enter. One team is all birds and the other team look like constellations.
  There is a short meal and then the music starts. Some people start dancing, it looks like fun. I stand up to join them. The girl from Spain is dancing by herself. She is dressed as a swan. She reaches her hand out to me and pulls me into a circle that forms around her.
  "Hello," She says laughing "I'm Marisol, you looked like you wanted to dance"
  "I'm Susan and yes I did, thank you" I smile. The dance reminds me of a flower, we spin in circles that join each other and then separate into smaller circles. Occasionally we split into couples, I don't know the people I pair with.   It's the most fun I've had since going swimming on the island. After the first dance I have to take a break. I find Flair who is out of breath as well.
  We stand and watch the people for awhile. There are so many different people in all kinds of costumes. Even people that aren't part of the competition are dressed as other things.
  There is a few more dances. But most of them are complicated and I don't know the steps.
After the dancing is finished a man stands up on a platform and says "To the team who won the last challenge each of you will get an advantage. The next challenge will be two days long. You get the choice of either a half day head start or you can choose what to pack. Please come forward now and make your decision."
  That's me, it's a hard choice. The head start would be nice but if I don't have food and warm clothes it won't help much. Who knows what the officials will pack for us. It could be practical things or they could play a joke on us and pack things that won't help us at all. At least if I pack it I'll know what's in there.
  I follow my team to the platform. Close to the platform is a table, on one side of the table are back packs on the other side are tickets. Grey and Flair are first, they both pick the head start. So does Quin.
  Everyone else picks up a back pack. After that we're told to go to our rooms to pack.
  Tomorrow is the next challenge.
  Back in our room another table is set up with things I can pack.
  I'll have to be strategic. If it's a two day challenge I'll probably be sleeping in the open.   That means a blanket of some sort. There is a small roll on the table. I unfold it and it looks like a blanket but it's stuck together on two sides.
  "That's a sleeping bag," says Flair with a smile "you'll want one."
  "Thank you." I say, there is a lot I don't know still.
  I take the sleeping bag and put it on my bed. I'm guessing there will be a lot of walking so I'll need good shoes or boots. There's a pair on the table that almost have spikes on the bottom. I'll take those.
  Now food, I ask Flair to help me with that. Most of the food I don't recognize and I need to now what will be best. There is dried meat called jerky I pack a lot of that and something called granola. Two days isn't a long time but it's best to be prepared. Soon I'm finished, I make sure to put my bible in as well. I don't want to risk losing it.
  It's getting late and I'm tired. Flair and I pray together and then we both go to sleep.
  In the morning Indigo dresses us in warm clothing. It still looks nice but is also practical. Maroon braids my hair in something she calls a French braid. It's very comfortable.
  Then we're led to separate helicopters. I guess we'll be alone on this challenge. The rules are explained on the helicopter again. We all have to get to a certain spot but we're all by ourselves. I'm given a map which I put in my backpack. Then they blindfold me. They don't want any of us to know where we are.
  I'm dropped off on a small hill and the blindfold is taken off. The helicopter flies away and I'm alone.