Dodge Mason // Mystery Boy

31

We get ready and are told to meet at the Motor Lodge and Inn that Diggins works at. Where Heather took part in Natalie's personal challenge. The details are still blurry but Natalie's confessions were played in front of them. I don't know what the challenge truly was. To stay in the room? To not cry? To convince Heather that somehow wasn't real?

Either way, I stand by Heather. We enter the seated area with tables and chairs and stand at our entrance. The players look back and us and murmur. I see Dodge out of the corner of my eye and Natalie a few feet ahead seated facing the front. She turns back slowly and gives me a desperate look. I turn away and my eyes land on Dodge who is already looking at me. I feel my heart drop so I turn to Heather who is looking around at our friends. The faces we watched transform into the stories we'd heard about. Soon we'd become the stories others would tell.

"Friends, players," Diggins breaks the murmurs. "Former contestants," he makes eye contact with several people. "The results of the individual challenges have been tallied. All the points have been scored. Shawna quit so she's out of the game."

Some eyes scatter to her in surprise while it seems some already know. Word gets around quickly so this doesn't surprise me.

"Dodge is in first place and will be heading to the joust," Diggins continues. It takes every muscle in my body to not turn to face him. Why is it almost muscle memory to turn to face him?

"The player competing against him is as yet undetermined," Diggins declares.

"What?!" Ray shouts from his relaxed slouch in the chair. "Why? I mean— I stayed long enough in that shithole cooler didn't I?" he complains.

"Not long enough to beat Dodge's time," Summer intervenes while standing next to a seated Diggins on the counter.

"The individual challenges aren't done yet, Ray," Diggins chimes back in. "By order of the judges, Natalie Williams is disqualified for reasons of false representation and failure to compete the required challenges. As punishment the player's points have been retroactively invalidated," he reads aloud from his phone.

Drew scoffs and asks for clarity. "The judges wiped Natalie's score because she cheated," he reveals. Ray bursts into laughter and the murmurs roar. "She was never in Spurlock's house. Shouldn't have even made it to Graybill let alone the final five."

Natalie looks around uncomfortably as the people stare.

"So what does this mean?" I ask.

"Well, Heather still has her immunity," Summer chimes in.

"Which means, she must do her individual challenge," Diggins explains. I look to Heather and her face is almost hard to read. She purses her lips and tries to smile. She's back in the game.

"So, once Heather finishes her challenge Dodge will go against Delilah, Ray, or Heather in the joust."