“You say that as if you’re not beholding greatness.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. For some reason I thought they were baseball players.”
“They are.”
“Exactly.” I smile and brush a mosquito off my arm.
“But him. He’s Joseph Williams.” Colton emphasizes the name as if he expects me to pop out of my seat and perform Thunderstruck like I’m a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Instead, I shrug.
“He was an outfielder. In his last season he hit .346 with
forty-two home runs and 132 RBIs. And his son, Tyrone, just got signed by the MLB.”
I blink. Someone could have just spoken Gaelic to me, and I would have understood them more than Colton’s last three sentences, so I settle for “Cool.”
“Not just cool. Joseph’s legendary.” Colton visibly freezes as Joseph glances in our direction. When he looks away, Colton blows out a pent up breath. “But despite being the best, he was forced to quit early for something he didn’t even do. Sometimes I hate politics.” As if realizing what he just said in the proximity of cameras, the future senator shuts his mouth and looks away from me as if our conversation never happened.
But suddenly, there’s a restlessness among the contestants surrounding me. I look up and see what everyone is staring at. My breath catches in my chest. Delightful little goosebumps rise across my skin as I watch the one and only Niall Bose enter the set.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Niall, theSunsets and Sabotagehost of fifteen years, says in his familiar baritone voice.
I gape and join in the excited claps of the other contestants as Niall steps within jumping distance of me. Just like on my screen back home, he’s medium height with a slim build, is in his mid-forties, and has black hair and dark skin that reflect his Indian ancestry.
Niall makes a point of recognizing each one of us in our finery. But our apparel looks at odds with his own. He’s wearinghisoutfit, or really,the onlyoutfit I’ve ever seen him wear on the show. He’s got on formal suit pants and wears the finely pressed button-up shirt of an airplane pilot. He’s the captain of this soon-to-be-stranded group of contestants as we strive to survive on the island.
Colton leans over to me. “Careful, don’t let the flies in.”
I shut my mouth. I deserved that. But I don’t care. Niall Bose is here and so am I.
“Thank you for being here. All of you are amazing,” Niall says, reining in our star-studded excitement.
As a whole, we all lean in to hear his words.
“I can’t tell you much until we start filming, but what I can tell you is that this will be the most unforgettable season yet. We’ve handpicked each of you because we knew you would make this season stand out among all others. So, without further ado, make sure your personal cameras and mics are on. Then, what do you say we get this show started?”
Once more, we all start clapping, then Colton and I, along with the other contestants, find our lapel cameras and mics and turn them on. Mine are fastened to the sparkly edge of my square neckline. I flip the minuscule switch on both pieces of technology, then wait for the green lights to blink at me, signaling that they are on just as Benji instructed.
When I look up, Niall takes his place in front of the firepit, same as he does at the start of every season.
“Contestants ready,” Shannon calls to all of us in a commanding voice as she puts a headset over her ears and stands just behind the camera operators.
My senses go on high alert.
I feel the heat of the fire.
I hear the soft whir of the drones.
I watch Colton’s thumb and forefinger tap together in his signature show of nerves.
Soon enough, Colton’s facial features morph into the poised-and-contented mask he puts on before any public appearance. I do the same when I see the camera lights turn red. My heart seems to beat inside my eardrums, blocking out the silence around me.
And then, a voice rises above all else. “We’re rolling in 3 ... 2 ... 1.”
Chapter 6
COLTON
I straighten in my teal airplane seat just as Niall whips out his charismatic show-host voice. “It’s Season Twenty-Three, and a whole new cast has crash-landed on our island. Get ready for an unforgettable season that will have you tuning in at all hours to see if your favorite team will survive to see the next sunset or fall victim to Sabotage Island. I’m your host, Niall Bose, and this isSunsets and Sabotage.”
