The Challenge

Chapter Three

The first night in the house with the Vets was overstimulating and exhausting in Emma's opinion. After the pool incident, she changed and then opted to hang out with Graham inside and pig out on food while everyone else partied. This is when she learned that he too was abandoned as a baby and spent his life tossed around the foster system. That's why he's a loner just like she is and that is why they get along so well.

She listened intently as he told many stories of the horrible houses he was in and that's when she knew she found a friend for life. She was vague about her backstory but she did confide in him about being a foster kid too. Eventually, she grew tired of Elsa rolling her eyes toward the pool and tapping her watch in a silent command to hang out with the rest of the house.

So, they did as they were told and hung out by the pool. That's where she officially met Veterans: Belle, Mulan, and Aurora. They were definitely the quiet ones of the bunch, talented but didn't mind hanging out in the background and observing the chaos from a safe distance. She's fairly confident that this will be her core group of friends in the house for as long as she remains in the game. Unfortunately, she isn't rooming with any of those vets.

The house didn't quiet down until four in the morning and it wasn't until six a.m. when everyone finally retired to their beds. As Mary Margaret stated, there wasn't a daily challenge the following day which was a blessing. Most cast members didn't roll out of bed until one in the afternoon.

Which was great for Graham and Emma.

They were up by ten in the morning, enjoyed a nice breakfast and then took advantage of the gym with some peace and quiet. Graham spent a lot of time doing yoga which she found interesting and inquired about since she never tried it before. He was kind and showed her some techniques and then they ran for miles next to each other on the treadmills. They didn't say much but she suspected that he loved that part of their companionship just as much as she does.

The evening was much more reserved and that was when production would pull cast members for interviews and commentary on the first daily challenge and events that occurred at the pool party. All the vets were tame, a stark comparison to their behavior the night before, so Emma knew that a daily challenge was coming the next day.

And sure enough, she was woken up at six a.m. the following morning by a blaring siren. The camera crew focused on Regina's stomach as she tugged her game shirt on. Kristoff zoomed in to Sabine knotting a bandana around her head and then of course, the camera zoned in on Emma's shoe tying ability. The cast was escorted to two buses and then they drove for what felt like hours up a very high and winding mountain.

She's about to throw up from the elevation and motion sickness alone.

When the entire cast is lined up at the edge of a mountain side, TJ smirks and Emma feels her soul actually leaving her body.

"Welcome to the beautiful Phu Chi Fa Forest Park in Thailand," he begins, earning himself and the gorgeous scenery a round of applause. "Since you all have new partners, what better way to build a bond then to start off with a trust exercise."

"I don't like where this is going," Neal chuckles, squeezing Tamara's shoulders while the rest of the cast loses all color from their faces from the death defying heights.

TJ has the audacity to laugh. "Today, we are playing, Don't Let Me Down. You and your partner will be suspended two hundred feet in the air. One partner will stand at the edge of a platform, holding onto their partner's hands as they dangle off the edge of the cliff."

"Teej, please, god no," Ruby groans, encouraging the rest of the cast to mumble their disapproval.

"Whoever can hang onto their partner the longest will win today's challenge and grant them immunity from elimination tonight. The losing pair will automatically be sent into elimination to fight for their place back in the house. Let's have some fun."