BLANK SLATE || the challenge: spies, lies, and allies

02 - a forlorn gaze.

"You met during a Challenge?" Berna smiled. "So cute. I can leave you guys to it. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, for sure." CT smiled, turning to face Roxanne once she was out of sight. "So, where's your head at?"

"I'm not sure, I mean, I'm sure there's gonna be a vet alliance, right?"

"Yeah, I think there's already been talks." CT nodded. "What do you think about your partner? Gabo, right?"

Roxanne chuckled. "I... I don't know if he knows... exactly what he's doing? I don't really know yet. He's a partier. I don't know if his head's... quite in it yet. I mean, if that last challenge said anything—"

"Yeah, what happened there?"

"I gave him only three of the numbers to remember, I thought I knew it myself but they slipped my mind and he couldn't remember them. He then proceeded to run back to the blocks that we had smashed to oblivion without telling me. I mean..." Roxanne sighed. "He'll get there. I don't think it's hit him yet."

"It never does with most of these rookies. Most of 'em."

"You can say that again." Roxanne laughed. "And we never know what TJ has planned, so— I just wanna make it to the end on this one, for what it's worth."

"Yeah." CT chuckled, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "You will. We will."

"I'll try my damn hardest." Roxanne smiled, placing a kiss on his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

There was never a dull moment in the Challenge  house, and that did, sometimes, have to include just getting together and having a bunch of fun. Maybe it was Devin Walker, in a leopard-print Speedo bringing a Birthday cake for Michele and Logan before jumping into the pool.

After five seasons, Roxanne never really knew what  it was, because she always  found herself talking game sooner than later. This time, it was with Emy—another rookie—who, she found, she really   seemed to get along with.

"Can you do me a solid?" Roxanne raised her eyebrows, awaiting a response before saying anything else. Emy nodded, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"All ears."

"So you're closer to the rookies, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." Roxanne nodded. "If I asked you to play double agent for me, would you do it? Like go and—"

A mischievous grin seemed to spread across Emy's face. "Hell yeah, bro."

"Cool. Awesome. Can we shake on it?" Roxanne raised her eyebrows, and the two shook hands. "Awesome. Great. You're the best."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just fuckin' tell me what you think I should know. Tell me, tell CT, tell any of the vets you think you can trust, okay?"

"Alright."

"Thanks, Emy. You're my favorite rookie." Roxanne chuckled, before walking away.

Maybe she could enjoy herself now.

Just a little bit.

— — — — — — —

Roxanne's laugh in her confessional seemed to represent that of a comic villain. "I know I can get most of these rookies with me if I want to. I mean, Michaela and myself did the same Survivor  season, but she hasn't approached me at all. I think that, for now, it's best to stick with the vets, but— what's a little chaos gonna do?"

— — — — — — —

...But she didn't expect her plan to work so quickly.

She was outside, having a drink with Aneesa, when suddenly, Emy came up to them in a fray. Roxanne raised her eyebrows as she took the seat next to her, pulling the hood of her pink sweatshirt up. "I have something, Pop-Rox."

"What? Already?" Roxanne raised her eyebrows, making eye contact with a confused Aneesa, who called Tori over—which was good in Roxanne's case—and once she joined them, Emy immediately got to explaining. "So, I went upstairs, it was Renan, Michele, Tommy, and Michaela, and they had a list with people they trust, people they don't trust, and people to put into elimination. Michaela had the list."

"Oh shit," Roxanne breathed, and Emy turned to Aneesa.

"The first name on the list was you."

"And I was where?" Tori asked as Aneesa shook her head. "I was where?"

"People not to trust. And Pop-Rox was for elimination."

"Oh, fuck me." Roxanne sighed. Tori raised her eyebrows.

"You swear on everything that you saw this? This is no lie?"

Emy seemed to make a sign of the cross. "On my music career."

"Oh, I love you. I believe you. I fucking believe you."

Aneesa shrugged, looking at Roxanne and Tori. "We know exactly what to do tomorrow."

Roxanne nodded in agreement, patting Emy on the shoulder as a thank-you before nodding again at Tori and Aneesa. "Should I tell the others?"

"Yeah." Tori nodded. "Our group."

"Okay."

Now, there was one thing left on her mind—

Who the fuck  was behind this list?