Now she’s just milking this moment for all it’s worth. “I don’t snore.”
“No, man, you snore,” says a passenger behind us with blond dreads, a surfer tan, and a smile that’s giving off stronghakuna matatavibes.
I smile back at him in athanks, but no thanks for your candid commentkinda way, and start to question if I need to schedulea visit with the ENT when I get home, but more of Missy’s commentary interrupts my thoughts.
“For a moment there, I thought you were faking sleep just so you didn’t have to hear me talk, but then you started snoring, and …” Missy pauses, her eyes widening.
“What? Did I talk in my sleep, too? Royally offended Miss Queen of the Universe?” I say as I finish taking out my hand sanitizer from my backpack, making the most of my small rations.
“You didn’t.”
“I didn’t what?”
“You had three items you could bring … and hand sanitizer is one of them.” She clamps a hand over her mouth, her eyes sparkling with condescending humor. “Colton, that thing’s, like, three ounces. That won’t last you three days, let alone weeks. What are you going to do when you run out? Unless …” Missy leans over to snatch my backpack from the base of my seat, but I pull it away from her and onto my lap, quickly zipping in my sanitizer. “You brought two others, didn’t you? Oh, Colton.”
Missy laughs as if she’s right.
“Actually, no.”
“Then what are they? What are your other two approved items?” She half-heartedly pretends to reach for my bag once again, but I swiftly stand to a half-hunched position and strap it onto my back, pivoting the bag away from her as I prepare to exit our row.
“Nothing you need to know about, but they aren’t sanitizer … or wet wipes,” I say, cutting off the retort I knew was coming.
“Mm-hmm.” She shoots me a haughty look, like she’s got me pinned, but I shrug and look away. I’d rather hear Missy’s unending comments on what she thinks is in my bag than let her know what I actually brought. Because that … that’s something I will never tell Missy.
A half hour later, a shuttle picks Missy and me up at Airport Arrivals. Roughly forty-five minutes after that, we’re dropped off at one of the many buildings that can only be described as giant airplane hangars.
The instant I step out of the shuttle and onto the parking lot pavement, the late-morning sun presses down on me like an iron on a wrinkly shirt; all the while, the humidity does its best to boil me alive. Missy and I both remove our jackets and shove them into our backpacks.
Seconds later, we’re greeted by a young woman who steps out of a nearby hangar wearing aSunsets and Sabotagevisor, sunglasses, and a bright-coral polo shirt. “Hello, you two. You must be Colton and Missy.”
Missy and I nod, and I extend my hand to shake hers before Missy does the same.
“I’m Penelope, but you can call me Penny. Welcome to theSunsets and Sabotagebackstage. I’m Shannon Pierce’s assistant, and I’ll be getting you settled until Shannon’s out of her meeting.” Penny offers us a sunny smile and ushers us toward a door at the side of a nearby hangar.
As we near the side entrance, I get an up-close-and-personal look at the giant logo painted on the door’s exterior. It’s the same logo plastered on my windbreaker, backpack, and even the insoles of my shoes. The nameSunsets and Sabotageis bold in the center of the circular logo. Half of the circle is a target, and the other half is a setting sun, representing both the sabotage and sunset aspects of the game. Then there is the airplane that crashes through the title, breaking off bits of the lettering.
Subconsciously, I pause and eye the logo as one would an art piece. It’s really quite clever. Not only is it well designed in its complex simplicity, but it manages to depict the backstory of the show in one clear image.
On the show, we, the contestants, are portrayed as a group of survivors that have crash-landed on Sabotage Island. If we want to live long enough on the island to see another sunset, we must navigate the daily challenges and constant sabotage in order to beat out the other teams and be crowned the winners ofSunsets and SabotageSeason Twenty-Three.
“I know you two have been debriefed on what to expect leading up to the show, but now, we can finally dip your toes into the reality of the game before you start your first challenge on the island tomorrow,” Penny says, stepping beside me.
“Are we the only contestants here so far?” Missy asks, pausing in front of the door.
“As of right now, only you two and Legend and Silver have arrived at the hangar.”
I glance over at Missy, and we share a rare but mutual look. Legend and Silver? What, are we inTheHunger Gamesnow? Those names sound like they came straight from District 2.
“The other teams will be arriving within the next few hours,” Penny continues. “As for now, Benji, our drone manager and tech specialist, will run-through all you need to know about the individual lapel mics and cameras you’ll each be wearing throughout the show. And then, tonight, you’ll do your opening interviews with Niall Bose.”
Missy lets out a little squeak beside me, then covers her mouth.
Penny chuckles at her response. “Yes, Niall Bose tends to get that reaction from a lot of contestants. You must be a big fan.”
Missy nods, still looking a little dumbfounded by simply hearing the nameNiall Bose. I know Missy has been a long-time fan of the show, but I haven’t seen her this excited since she thrifted a sparkly ’80s prom dress right before Homecoming our sophomore year.
“So is the game set onthisisland?” I ask.
