Among the Vinca

Chapter 39: Ryan

I was willing to bet that the group of instructors would be distracted enough that I could leave unnoticed. I wanted to visit my dad again. Something Blake had said to me was stuck in my head;

"It seems suspiciously easy. I feel as if something is brewing on the surface..." This whole situation seemed, as she had put it, suspiciously easy. So I wanted to get some answers. As I walked up the steps, I noticed that the guard was absent. Feeling my panic levels rise, I rushed down the hallway. My dad was still sitting there, safely behind bars. I couldn't help but sigh in relief. The leader smirked.

"Were you worried of something Ryan?" I scowled as a response. I started to ask him my question, but stopped.

How do you ask that kind of thing? Did you set up your own jail sentence? Did you set up for your whole company to collapse? This is ridiculous. As I remained silent, my dad's smirk widened.

"You know, I didn't choose you four for your strength." I looked at him, startled out of my thoughts. "Quite the contrary, actually. Whynne is a spoiled rich brat with anxiety issues. I figured she'd fold under the pressure. Eric has been pressured his entire life. Instead of using it to better himself, he simply rode with it. His own error... Instead of embracing it, he fights it. But fighters grow weary... I believed he too, with time, would fold under the pressure. It's ironic, considering your island situation was much better than most. I eliminated mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects. I placed food for you. I simply thought it would be interesting to watch them collapse. Blake alone I knew was not weak, but I picked her for other reasons. But you, Ryan,were exceptional. You have proven yourself as a man. I'm very proud of you." The praise sickened me.

"But they weren't so weak, were they? They beat you after all, didn't they?"

"Oh Ryan... You're smarter than that. Don't you think I noticed the two other groups plotting? The way the instructors interested with you all? The fact that Eric saw Rachel drugged? The hint Sawyer gave Blake? The flower necklaces, that were an extension of the hint? The fact that the communication device could go to other stations? You're very intelligent Ryan, but you a lot to learn about people's intentions."

"If you planned all of this, why are you here?" He looked at me with the shining eyes of a madman.

"Well, I suppose that's for me to know, and for you to find out." Disgusted, I turned away from him, vowing to never come back. As I was exiting, I noticed something shining in the dim light on the grimy stone floor. Scooping it up, I examined it. It was a long strand of blonde hair. I sighed heavily.

"Whynne, come out here." She sheepishly emerged from behind a corner wall. "Really? You had to follow me?"

"You wouldn't have let me go." She pointed out. "So, I'm weak now. What else is new?"

"Well, the whole 'It was all my idea'-"

"Don't listen to his garbage. He's probably trying to make himself feel better about his situation. People that lose often try to convince themselves that they won. That's why they created participation awards." I gaped at her for a moment, then shook my head.

"Anyway, we should go before they figure out we're gone."

"Whynne. What did you do?"

"I might have heard them looking for me when I left..."

"Are you serious? What are we going to tell them? We can't exactly tell them we were talking to the leader of the company because I was scared that we were set up. They're adjusting enough already."

"Not to mention they don't know he's your dad, and they might think you're loyal to him."

"Do you?"

"Of course not! What would be the point?"

"So... you're not going to tell them?" The fevery light in her eyes reminded me that Whynne may not be entirely sane.

"No... And I've got a plan for what we're telling them about where we've been."

"And what is this plan?"

"I'm glad you asked..."