Chapter 8:
AMAZON
"...What are you doing here?" Y/N asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, unsure if Alejandro saw.
"Just wanted to give you this, for your injury." Alejandro smiled, holding up an ice bag.
Y/N looked at the ice bag, then back to him. "That's all your here for?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Why? Were you expecting something else?"
"Uh, nope!" She quickly said, taking the ice pack from his hand and placing it on her bruised cheek. Y/N noticed him glancing at the door where LeShawna just fell out and back to her.
—
"You saw how he looked at that door!.. he might be onto me, or worse, he somehow knows!? If I just act really nice, maybe he won't turn against me..?" Y/N sighed. She couldn't help but feel a little worried and was beginning to regret the stunt she had pulled.
—
"Well, thank you!" Y/N said, forcing a fake smile.
Alejandro nodded, "Your welcome, Y/N. Take care."
He gave Y/N a small pat on her shoulder. She responded with another fake smile before saying a quick goodbye and making her way to the loser's side, taking a seat next to Izzy.
As Y/N sank into her seat, she felt a heavy sense of fear weighing down on her. She'd faked crying and lied about her mother's leaving to make LeShawna look bad. But now, shes pretty sure Alejandro might be catching on.
I hope Alejandro doesn't figure it out. I was just sick of LeShawna making fun of me... but maybe I went a bit too far.
She glanced over to the door she just left, not sure if Alejandro was now manipulating Dj or Lindsay. But her anxiety still gnawed at her.
Nevertheless, Y/N calmed herself.
No point in worrying now. I'll just have to be extra careful and play it cool.
•---------•
"..Engine...Failure..." Owen mumbled in his sleep, drool slowly trickling to the ground and forming a puddle.
"Will you pipe down already?" Alejandro said, annoyed, elbowing him in the arm.
"Crash position...AH!" Owen suddenly woke up, flailing his arm around, Izzy managed to dodge but Alejandro wasn't so lucky.
"Wow, what a terrible dream!" Owen sighed, rubbing his eyes. He then noticed Alejandro on the ground, clutching his eye. "Al, what happened?!"
"Nothing with a little ice and revenge won't fix." Alejandro grinned.
"Cool...Wait, did you say revenge?" Owen questioned,
"Of course not! Off-topic, do you have any serious allergies?" Alejandro asked.
"Uh, let's see now..." Owen wondered out loud.
—
"Sometimes I get the feeling Al might sightly not totally like me, punching him in the face probably didn't help. Unless he likes that kind of thing, fingers crossed." Owen said
—
Chef came in wearing a nurse outfit and fastened an eyepatch onto Alejandro's sore eye.
Meanwhile, Noah was asleep with his mouth slightly ajar when a rat from the ceiling fell straight into his mouth. Startled awake, Noah began frantically spitting out the rodent, panicked and disgusted.
Y/N scooted away from him, grossed out.
"Stupid Economy class!" Noah grumbled.
"Being back here has some perks." Tyler smiled, glancing at Lindsay, who sat across from him, waving.
"Next time we get on this plane, we'd better be back in first class." Alejandro whined,
"Yeah cool, let's be a team," Owen said, pulling Alejandro closer to him. "a team that gets along, all of us, with everyone forgiving anything that might have ever happened by accident...or whatever," Owen said really fast,
"Brace for landing, we've arrived at our next destination, the Amazon! But the runways a little short." Chris said through the speakers. "Gosh, I hope none of the Amazon said this might be lucky for them, that'd be disastrous!" He added.
•---------•
"Welcome to Peru! Birthplace of the mighty Amazon river, this challenge is called; The Am-AH-zon race, teams must hike along an ancient Inca trail through the Peruvian jungle all the way to Machu Picchu, hidden somewhere among the ruins of Machu Picchu a golden treasure awaits discovery. Find the treasure to win first-class passage to our next destination, last team to arrive at Machu Picchu we'll have to send someone out the elimination door."
"And be warned, the jungle contains many vicious insects," Chris added, and immediately Cody raised his hand.
"Yes Cody, the legal department made me well aware of your deathly allergies and insisted we supply an epipen." Chris held up the Epipen, but as Cody rushed toward him to get it, Chris held it high above his head. "Wouldn't make sense to give it to the person who has the allergies. What if you need an injection when you're unconscious."
"Oh! Oh! Me! I can take it!" Sierra pleaded, holding up her hand and waving it around.
"Who can we get to carry this?" The host teased. Cody, desperate, went to Gwen and fell to his knees, begging. The goth sighed.
"I'll...take it."
"What? No! I'm the only one who knows what sends Cody into anaphylactic shock! Black ants, brown ants, red ants, geo beads, wolf spiders, Canadian crickets, the clear-winged peretta butterfly, and goat saliva!" Sierra protested, glaring at Gwen.
"Goat saliva? Must make dating a little tough, hey Cody? Here you are, Gwen." Chris joked before tossing the EpiPen to Gwen, she caught it and Cody let out a sigh of relief.
"Also in the jungle are the zing zings. A native tribe who have never encountered modern man and they're not about to. So, if you spot a zing zing. Do. Not. Make. Contact." Chris said, holding up a picture of a masked figure.
"How far is it to monkey pitching?" Owen asked, completely butchering the name.
"Machu Picchu." Chris corrected. "Is a hop, skip, and a jump from here. Plus 18 hours." Everyone groaned.
18 hours?!
"The jungle is too dangerous to travel at night so teams will have to break at dusk and camp along the trail until sunrise." He instructed.
"And I assume there are no tents?" Alejandro asked, already knowing the answer.
"Correctomondo! Now, because the playing area is so vast and dangerous, each team will have a walkie-talkie in case of emergency. Teams, I wish you good luck. Or at the very least, a lack of death."
•---------•
Team Victory and Chris is really hot stood at a point in the jungle where the trail split into two. Left and right.
"Eenie, meenie, miney... left?" Lindsay suggested, Dj just shrugged and their team (well, duo) walked off.
"Whatcha think? Left? Yeah, left is definitely good." Tyler said quickly before joining Lindsay. Leaving his team no choice but to follow him.
Y/N and Noah were chatting to each other as both teams went deeper into the jungle. They were having such a great time that they seemed completely oblivious to Alejandro, who trailed along behind them, growing more and more annoyed. He didn't like how close they were becoming. Despite his plans to manipulate Y/N, he found it hard to even talk with her lately because of Noah.
—
"I was supposed to charm my way with Y/N but it seems like Noah is becoming an unexpected problem." Alejandro let out an exasperated sigh. "All I need is an excuse to be close to Y/N." He grinned,
—
Noah and Owen were now talking to each other, but just as Y/N was about to chime in, she felt a firm tug on her arm, pulling her slightly back, she turned around to see Alejandro was the one. Leaving her confused as the rest of the team continued walking ahead.
"Y/N, I think I saw something suspicious behind that bush. We should check it out to make sure it's safe for the team." Alejandro suggested.
She hesitated for a moment, a slight feeling of doubt creeping in, but reluctantly agreed, "Alright, let's take a look."
She couldn't help but wonder if Alejandro was truly concerned for their safety or if there was an ulterior motive. Nonetheless, she decided to trust him. After all, she was a little curious
Y/N approached the bush he gestured to, cautiously parting the leaves to reveal...nothing. There was nothing there, no potential danger, no hidden threat.
Y/N's brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced at Alejandro. "I don't see anything. Are you sure you saw something here?"
Alejandro flashed an apologetic smile, keeping his true intentions well hidden. "I must have been mistaken, Y/N. My apologies for the false alarm."
What a waste of time.
"Oh, it's okay. It's an honest mistake!" She beamed, and as Y/N began walking to catch up with her team, Alejandro caught up to her and started walking alongside her
The silence hung in the air, and Y/N couldn't help but wonder why he was so close to her. But before she could even ask about it, Alejandro spoke up.
"So, Y/N. I've been noticing you and Noah getting along quite well, Is there something more going on? Perhaps, you two have formed an alliance or..." He paused, "...maybe there's something else?"
Y/N raised an eyebrow at his sudden question, feeling a bit caught off guard. "..Noah and I are just getting to know each other," she replied cautiously. "We haven't formed any alliances or anything like that."
Alejandro nodded, seemingly satisfied with her response. "Very well. It's always important to keep an eye on these alliances in this game. You never know who might be plotting against you."
Uh huh...
•---------•
Y/N's team gathered on the tall wooden platform, where they found a zip line but no T-bar.
"Where's the hanging on thingy part?" Tyler asked.
"Hanging on thingy?" Chris repeated, amused.
"You know! The riding stick! Grabby what-you-call-it, ugh! The zipper buckle handle!" Tyler said, clearly struggling.
"Getting colder..." Chris joked, making Tyler groan.
"We need no T-bar, we are Chris is Really Really Really Really hot!" Alejandro declared. He began to unbuckle his belt, preparing himself to use it as a makeshift T-bar, but turned to Y/N.
"Would you like me to carry you? No one as remarkable as yourself has to face this, especially someone with your injury," He said, gesturing to the healed but obvious bruises on her face
Y/N couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Thanks...but I've got this. I don't need any special treatment."
"As you wish," Alejandro smiled before smoothly zipping down the zip line, "Ariba!"
"Whatever you say Al!" Owen said as he followed Alejandro's lead, using his bare hand to zip down. But his enthusiasm quickly faded into sheer panic as he whipped down the line.
Smoke began to come from his hands from the friction, and his cheers soon turn into frantic screams. As he neared the end of the line, the combined weight and speed caused the zip line to dip into the water below.
Owen resurfaced, gasping for air and clinging onto the line for dear life. He was covered in a swarm of piranhas.
"Oh yes, there may or may not be piranhas in this water." Chris added, smiling.
Y/N noticed the fear etched on her teammates' faces, nervous about them going up next, especially after seeing that.
With a nervous gulp, Y/N mustered up her courage and volunteered to be the next one on the zip line. She could feel her heart pounding,
But as she stood at the starting point, she glanced around at her teammates and her own clothes, searching for something that could be used as a T-bar.
Her eyes fell on Tyler, and an idea sparked in her mind. She approached the jock.
"Hey, Tyler, do you mind if I borrow your headband for a moment?" She asked.
Tyler agreed, took off his headband and handed it to Y/N. She quickly fashioned it into a makeshift T-bar, securing it to the zip line, making sure she had a firm grip, and zipped down.
However, as Y/N sped down the zip line, holding onto Tyler's headband, she quickly realized that the intense friction was wearing down the T-bar. The fabric of the headband began to burn away in her hands, and panic welled up inside her.
Just great.
Desperation took over as the headband started to tear. With no other options, Y/N made a quick decision and let go of the now burnt headband and held on to the cable. The painful reality of her bare hands making direct contact with the scorching zip line sent waves of agony through her.
Y/N let out a sigh of relief as she finally reached the end and her feet touched solid ground. She rubbed her scorched hands, wincing at the rope burns that had formed, but just felt relieved she didn't fall. As she stood there, Alejandro approached her.
"Are you alright, Y/N?" Alejandro asked, extending his hand towards her to examine the burns.
Y/N moved her hand away slightly while maintaining her fake smile. "I'll be fine." she replied in a tone that sounded a bit too cheerful. "I'll handle it."
—
"My face is still a bruised mess, and now my hands are all burnt from that rope!" Y/N complained as she started wrapping bandages around her injured hands.
—
Tyler decided to use his pants as a T-bar, which left him in nothing but his underwear. He began to zip down, but much like what had happened to Y/N, the friction between his pants and the line started to tear his pants, and before long, they burned away completely. With a yelp, Tyler plummeted into the water, Y/N winced.
Izzy suddenly got an idea and stuffed Noah into her backpack and then zipped down the line with him in tow.
•---------•
"Dusk! We can make camp here." Alejandro suggested after his team had been wandering through the Amazon for quite some time.
"Need rest...and water...oh, nacho would be killer right now!" Owen groaned, slowly crawling on the ground.
"Sure, all we're missing is chips, beef, tomatoes, cheese, salsa.-" Noah began listing.
"-Hey! Slow down guys, I'm making a list." Izzy said, her notepad already in hand and writing it down.
Owen was flat on his back, completely out of breath, and his stomach growled loudly.
"I think we should find some actual food," Y/N said.
Izzy spotted a handful of bugs crawling on the jungle floor. She scooped them up excitedly.
"Hey, check these out! We can totally eat these." The ginger grinned.
Y/N, grossed out by the idea of eating bugs, slapped the bugs out of Izzy's hand, sending them scurrying back to the ground.
"No way! We're not eating bugs. Let's stick to finding berries and fruits, something a bit more appetizing and less, you know, creepy." Y/N suggested.
And her team began to split up to search for berries or fruits, Y/N came up to Noah to partner up. Just as Noah was about to agree, Alejandro stepped in.
"Noah, could you assist Owen? It looks like he could use some help." Alejandro said. Noah shrugged and left to help Owen
"...Seems like Noah is busy with Owen now." Y/N stated,
"Well, then, looks like it's just you and me, Y/N. A perfect opportunity to bond, don't you think?" Alejandro said with a smirk.
Oh.
"I suppose you're right, partner," Y/N responded, keeping up her fake upbeat act. "A little bonding couldn't hurt. Let's find some berries together," Alejandro just smiled in response.
But as Y/N turned away and walked to a nearby bush, Alejandro couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her change of behavior.
—
"I think Alejandro is actually buying it, he doesn't suspect a thing! He even wants to bond now. Maybe he isn't that smart after all.." Y/N grinned.
—
"Y/N been acting unusually kind lately, and it's getting a little suspicious. Shes clearly hiding something but would she make it that obvious?" Alejandro said, raising an eyebrow
—
Y/N knelt beside a bush and began to pluck out the berries from it, collecting it in a pouch made from a large leaf. Once she was done, Y/N stood up and glanced around the jungle. Unfortunately, there were no other berries in sight, leaving her team's food supply somewhat limited.
"This is all I could find," Y/N admitted, holding up the leaf with a dozen berries to him. She then began counting to see if there were enough to share with the team.
Alejandro flashed a charming smile and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, his touch lingering just a bit longer than necessary. "You know, Y/N, I've always admired your determination. You're not just a pretty face, you're quite the strategist, aren't you?"
...And back to the flirting
Y/N glanced at his hand that rested on her shoulder and back to his face, she couldn't help but feel the same fuzzy feeling, but she knew she needed to stay focused. So she ignored it.
"...Thanks, Alejandro. Let's get back to our team," She said, and the two made it back to their team. But before Y/N could greet her teammates, something interrupted them.
"Chris, Chris, Chris! It's Gwen!" Gwen said through the Walkie-Talkie Tyler was holding, everyone began listening.
"Walkie-talkies are for emergencies only." Chris's voice spoke through the speaker.
"The zingy's top of the tree ties up with my hands and Cody's pants this trouble is big!" Gwen's voice was fast it was hard to understand her.
"Way to go Cody!" Tyler cheered.
"Thank you," Cody chimed in.
"Help us!" Gwen shrieked.
Then the Walkie-Talkie was passed to Courtney. "Gwen EpiPen herself! We need help!"
"Emergency only!" Chris said, stretching it out.
"We're being held at spearpoint by the zing zing! Help. us. now!" Heather whispered-shouted,
"We're in first place! Hi Tyler!" Lindsay beamed. Tyler just waved at the Walkie-Talkie.
"Okay! Team Amazon, remain calm and..." Chris said, and then the bell rang.
"You must be joking!" Heather said annoyed,
"Do we have to sing back up?" Y/N asked, leaning closer to the walkie-talkie.
"Nope! This one is all Amazon but let's make it end with a little solo from Heather. And...begin!" Chris declared before the walkie-talkies abruptly turned off, and Y/N's team fell silent.
"...Has anyone else found food, apart from Y/N?" Alejandro spoke up, his gaze shifting to his teammates.
The rest of the team exchanged uncertain glances. Owen shook his head, Izzy gave an enthusiastic thumbs down, Tyler looked puzzled, and Noah, as always, had a bored look on his face.
"Guess not, Alejandro," Y/N replied, "it looks like the berries are all we've got.
"Very well, Since we have food, let's focus on gathering sticks to make a fire." Alejandro said.
"Hold on. Before we start collecting sticks, are we even sure those berries we have are even edible?" Y/N interrupted, a little concerned.
"Yeah, I don't think berries are supposed to be gray..." Noah added.
Everyone's attention turned to the berries in Y/N's hands, contemplating whether it was safe to eat or not. Owen broke the silence by taking the berries from her hand and, without any hesitation, taking a bite. The team watched, unsure of what to expect. After a few moments, Owen swallowed and grinned widely.
"These berries are safe, guys! Mhhhm, delicious too!" He smiled
"Alright, if Owen says they're good, I trust him," Y/N said. And Alejandro began picking up sticks from the ground and tossing it as a bunch on the ground.
•---------•
Soon, it became dark and everyone was beginning to feel tired and decided to call it a night. One by one, they each took a spot around the comforting campfire and began to drift off into sleep. Alejandro, who had been lying beside Y/N, turned his head to her,
"Are you going to sleep, Y/N?" He whispered.
Y/N glanced at her resting teammates, their silhouettes illuminated by the fire.
"I think I'll stay up for a bit, just to keep an eye on things. We're in the Amazon, after all." She answered.
"Ah, Y/N, your dedication to the team is truly admirable. Staying up to guard us? But don't stay up too late, I can't have you looking anything less than perfect in the morning." Alejandro flirted, before closing his eyes.
Y/N rolled her eyes at his flirty comment, as her team began settling in for the night, Y/N felt like a leader again, watching over her now-sleeping teammates.
Y/N sat by the campfire, her eyes scanning the surroundings. The mysterious sounds of the jungle filled the air, chirping insects, the distant call of animals, and rustling leaves. It was a world away from the familiar comforts of her neighbourhood.
•---------•
Hours passed and the once lively jungle had fallen into an eerie silence. Y/N was lying down on her back, gazing up at the dark starry sky, enjoying the view.
Then suddenly she heard the unmistakable sound of a low growl nearby. Her heart began to race, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Y/N cautiously sat up, her eyes darting around, the low growl came again, closer this time, and sounded like there was more than one.
"Hey guys...? Wake up! I hear something!" Y/N said, panicked. She nudged Alejandro, who was closest to her, trying to wake him up. Gradually, everyone began waking up.
"Is that coming from the fire..?" Owen groggily asked, rubbing his eyes, trying to make sense of the strange sound.
"Fires rarely growl." Noah answered, nervous as he looked around.
"Al built it, maybe Spanish fires growl." Owen said, then the growls grew louder,
"What is that.." Tyler said his voice trembling, as he curled into a ball.
Owen leaned closer to the campfire, blowing on it to make the light extend further into the darkness. The flames revealed multiple abnormally large caterpillars forming a circle around them.
Without warning, one of the giant caterpillars blew out the campfire and lunged at the team, attacking them. Screams filled the air as the massive insects bit and clawed at them,
•---------•
Everyone was all huddled together, holding sticks they'd used to fend off the large caterpillars, but were left with bite marks all over. Y/N, who was up for a while, was now struggling to stay awake. The adrenaline from the attack was fading, and she could feel her eyelids getting heavy.
Y/N leaned tiredly against Alejandro's shoulder, her head nodding slightly as she fought off sleep. She felt his body tense for just a moment before shifting around to make her more comfortable.
"I'm so tired." Y/N whispered.
Alejandro glanced down at her. "Rest, Y/N, you've been watching over us all night. We'll keep an eye out-" Before he could finish his sentence, Y/N had already fallen asleep. Alejandro just smirked as he began playing with her H/C hair.
•---------•
Y/N felt someone nudged her.
"Mi amor," Alejandro whispered, "it's morning. We need to start moving."
Y/N slowly opened her eyes, it was then that she realized that she had been cuddling with Alejandro, her arms intertwined with his body. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she quickly backed away.
"I, uh, didn't realize...I mean, I didn't mean to..." Y/N stammered, feeling a bit confused as to why she even stuttering.
"Oh, Y/N, I must admit, I rather enjoyed your company," Alejandro grinned,
"Umm, Im glad you..did..?" Y/N mumbled, her words trailed off, a bit unsure of what to say. Alejandro just gave her a smug look before turning toward the others who were sleeping, and unlike Y/N, there was no gentle wake-up call.
"Daybreak!" He announced, causing Izzy, Tyler, and Noah to jolt awake, startled. "No time for head counts, we've got to get to Machu Picchu and find treasure, hurry!"
Everyone quickly scrambled to their feet and followed him. Eventually, they finally reached Machu Picchu and began climbing the steps toward the top of the mountain until Chris stopped them.
"You can't start searching until the whole team is here," Chris said. Y/N's team exchanged confused looks as they realized someone was missing.
"Owen!" Tyler gasped.
"You never said that! You're making up the rules as we go!" Alejandro protested.
"This surprises you because...?" Chris taunted.
"Fine, allow me to search for our beloved teammate," Alejandro sighed before heading back down.
The team watched as Alejandro made his way into the jungle to find their missing teammate. They took a seat on a nearby log, waiting. As Y/N sat down she felt a sharp pain in her hand, she looked and saw she had gotten a splinter.
"Seriously, why am I always getting hurt? What am I, Tyler?" She grumbled, removing the splinter from her hand.
"Hey!" Tyler said, looking a bit offended.
•---------•
"Tic tok, tic tok.." Chris teased, glancing at his wristwatch, and slowly Y/N's team was beginning to lose hope.
But just then, Alejandro and Owen climbed up the steps and finally made it, Y/N never felt so happy to see him.
What took them so long?!
"Let's find that treasure!" Alejandro said. Without wasting any more time, they began searching.
Chris made his way over to the log and took a seat, but before he could even get comfortable, Tyler called out.
"I found it!" Tyler grinned, both he and Owen were pulling out something. Chris came over, curious.
"We got it!" Owen huffed, trying to pull it out, "the olden treasure!"
"Great! Expect, we're looking for golden treasure." Chris corrected.
"I found it!" Lindsay beamed, rushing over to Chris, Dj following behind. The Blondie was indeed holding up the golden treasure that was shaped like an egg.
"Like that!" Chris exclaimed, pointing at it. "finally! Victory for Team Victory!" And the duo erupted in cheers.
•---------•
Team Amazon and Team Chris is Really Hot were sitting on the loser side, Y/N sat at one table with her team, each with a meal in front of them. Owen was gulping it down as he hadn't eaten once the whole day. Izzy was rambling on about anything she could think of, Noah was reading his book, Tyler was with Lindsay in first class, and Alejandro was just eating.
Feeling a bit bored, Y/N decided to pass the time by pulling out her phone and scrolling through her apps. It didn't cure her boredom so Y/N just typed in the show's name into Google cause she was curious of what people had to say. She began looking through the search results.
She stumbled upon dozens of sites and fan blogs where people were debating on every move that the competitors made. Y/N began glancing through the threads and couldn't help but noticed more and more comments about her:
Leshawna got eliminated for nothing!!!! Y/N just playing dirty with that fake ass sob story.
is she the new Heather of this season?? Cause that was so uncalled for!!1! GET HER OUTTT
what would her mom think if she had known? SMH
As Y/N continued to browse through the hateful comments. Her brows furrowed, and her face twitched in annoyance.
But what choice did she really had? Y/N saw an opportunity and took it, After all, she was competing against contestants who already had been on the show. She was the new girl so she needed to make a lasting impression, even if it was wrong. (Plus, LeShawna was bothering her)
With a heavy sigh, Y/N turned off her phone,
If nobody knows about my life, I'll be fine.....I hope.
⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢⌢
Note:
I'm back from the dead 🥹✊ (and 7K views?!?! We got a lot of Alejandro stan 🫢)
Halfway through this chapter I became sick so i hope there ain't any mistakes 😭😭 prob gonna proofread it when I feel better
Mid but important chapter 🫢
And the reason this chapter took so long (beside me being busy and sick) is because I was making a outline for this story (so everything Y/N do and say will come back...😨)
Katie if ur reading this, please close the tab 😘😘
and LOOOL not Y/N getting bullied online 😭😭😭
Merrys Halloween🤪🤪
Word Count: 4,555
(2023-10-31)