Chapter 5: Ships, Scams, and Shattered Glass

On Friday night, I went to the lounge to ask staff for sunscreen and found a bunch of people grinning at a computer. They were watching a Dusty Blue highlight reel.

When the official team does it, you know it’s good. Everyday moments, after editing, were full of sweet little glances—every micro-expression looked beautiful. I couldn’t look away.

Our casual closeness, the way we noticed each other in passing, the deliberate avoidance when in the same frame, the glances that almost said something more. It felt like I’d opened a new world and instantly fell for the Carter x Me ship. Guilty as charged.

“Based on the previous eliminations, thirty will go this round.”

Carter’s eyes were like an inescapable abyss—one look and I was lost. I couldn’t help myself.

Ever since I watched that edit, all I could think about was our interactions. It was addictive. I had to snap out of it.

“Mia isn’t here. You don’t have to act so hard.”

I forced myself to look away, feeling guilty as I stared at the bubbles in my coffee.

“You’ve been paying a lot of attention to me and Mia lately,” Carter paused. “You’re not catching feelings, are you?”

I slowly looked up, eyes red. “My feelings… did they bother you?”

“Drop the act.” Carter’s tone was cool. “What are you really after?”

I cleared my throat. “I’m shipping Dusty Blue, really!” I cut off his laughter, dead serious. “I just want the real couple to give us some sweetness.”

“Scripted moments are just artificial sugar. Real sweetness comes from the real thing.” Carter suddenly leaned in, and I saw my own reflection in his eyes—caring, devoted, infatuated, totally lost in love. So… shippable.

Dodgeball required two-person teams; the lowest-scoring groups were out. When it came time to pair up, Mia didn’t hesitate—she teamed up with an athlete. She was smart. Hype is one thing, but in a game that tests athleticism, Carter had no edge.

“Neither of us are athletes, and we’re both big targets. We’d be better off splitting up—if we stick together, we’re sure to get cut.”

Even though we were isolated, everyone had their own info sources. News always gets around. Besides us, a few influencer and wild-card ships were trending too. The crew wasn’t focusing on Carter and me as much as before. I was afraid they’d write us out for drama and send us home with regrets.

“Sorry, I haven’t done enough to make you feel safe.”

“That’s not what I meant.” I felt guilty. “Are you mad?”

“It’s my fault. How could I be mad at you?” Carter lifted his chin, looking carefree. “It’s fine. Go team up with someone else.”

Was I imagining things, or was he acting extra dramatic? Probably both.

In the end, I couldn’t resist the guilt trip and stayed.

As soon as the match started, the field turned into a war zone. Dodgeballs flew like bullets, and everyone acted like they were avenging some lifelong grudge. Carter pulled me into a big storage barrel to hide.

“We can’t win by attacking. If we just avoid losing too many points, we might make it.”

When the game ended, most teams had negative scores. We placed third with minus twelve. Mia and the athlete scored highest in attacks but also lost the most points, barely scraping by.

At the gathering, Mia was crying from exhaustion. After three rounds, the island took on a strange atmosphere. With the prize getting closer, the twenty million became everyone’s obsession.

Mia was irritable these days, always picking fights with the crew. I knew it was because she’d lost contact with her insider. She kept throwing tantrums, hoping to get their attention. I started keeping an eye on her.

The night before the fourth game, Mia snuck out.

“Where have you been lately? What’s the next game?”

“The directors said too many people have been leaking info. They’re changing the game.”

“Directors? Aren’t you the director?”

I tried to see who was inside, but my shadow on the ground gave me away.

“Who? Autumn… Taylor?”

I finally saw clearly. No wonder the voice sounded familiar. My ex, Charlie McNeil.

We grew up together, even went to college together. Charlie thought he was slick and conned classmates and professors out of money in college. In the end, a bigger scammer conned him, and he got expelled.

When we broke up, he spread rumors about me, making me out to be a gold-digging heartbreaker with a wild private life. Even after I got into showbiz, he kept using my name to scam people, causing me endless trouble. Marsha gets a headache just hearing his name.

“Charlie, what’s wrong with you? No wonder those recent rumors sounded so convincing—it was you again.”

Mia frowned at Charlie, hesitating. “So you were the one leaking to Mia?”

“Of course! Giving tips to my girlfriend is only natural.”

Mia stared at the floor, embarrassed. She loved to brag about her inside info, but next to Charlie, she couldn’t muster any pride.

“You have a new girlfriend and still spread rumors about me?” I brushed past Mia. “Open your eyes—stop picking boyfriends out of the trash.”

Mia grabbed me, biting her lip. “Autumn, what do you mean?”

Charlie pulled her aside, whispering, “I dumped her back in school. She’s just bitter.”

I told Carter about Charlie. Just thinking about working with Charlie for so long made my skin crawl.

“Did you really date him?”

“We were neighbors, same age. Played house as kids—he was the dad, I was the mom.”

Carter’s priorities seemed off. I thought for a while. “He confessed in college. I got so annoyed I agreed, but after a few days he tried to get me to sleep with him. I slapped him and broke up.”

Carter looked me over seriously. “I’ve met Charlie. He came to our company with a script, pretending to be an indie producer. We kicked him out after exposing him. He’s on the ‘One Percent’ crew, but he’s not a director—he’s in props.”

No wonder he always got the info last—he only heard after the directors finished planning and told the props team.

“That scammer! Should I warn Mia?”

“She won’t listen. You should worry about yourself.” Carter lowered his gaze, gentle. “Mia said the next game is high-altitude hopscotch.”

The crew must’ve been nuts. The island had a suspension bridge spanning two peaks. The sturdy planks had been replaced with rows of glass panels, each numbered.

Some panels were reinforced, some were fake props that would shatter underfoot. Every step was a gamble.

The earlier you went, the riskier; the later, the safer. I leaned against a pillar and looked down, instantly dizzy.

Everyone else looked the same. A married couple nearly came to blows over whether to quit.

Mia was different—stretching and warming up, clearly confident. In her interview, she boasted about her extreme sports experience.

“Are you worried about your draw order?”

“No. Sooner or later, we all have to go.”

She knew how to work the edit—her likability would skyrocket. But we knew she’d gotten the answers from Charlie.

Mia gave me a scornful look and went straight to Carter. “Team up with me—I can get you across.”

I warned her, “Charlie’s a liar. Don’t trust him.”

“I trust you less.” Mia almost rolled her eyes.

“Autumn, team up with Mia.”

I nodded. If Carter teamed up with Mia, she’d use the chance to lock in the Carter-Mia ship, and I’d never break it up.

“Didn’t you just say Charlie’s a liar? Why are you coming with me?” Mia was smug. “Just so you know, if you’re scared of heights, just quit now—don’t say I set you up later.”

“You be careful too. You never know who’s the real pawn.”

No more acting from either of us.

Mia drew third-to-last—everyone envied her luck. But I knew Charlie probably marked the cards.

The earlier groups had already tested up to panel 279; about thirty glass panels remained.

Tied together, we had to help each other. I stood on the glass, gripping the safety rope, too scared to move.

Ahead was the couple who’d been fighting. The husband cheered at first, but the wife got more and more scared, eventually begging to quit.

“Please, I’ll do whatever you say, just let me quit. I’m terrified, I can’t stand up… please, let’s just quit…”

The husband cursed, losing all pretense: “Twenty million! You could work your whole life and never see that!”

I remembered them from their livestreams—the wife always played up her weird eating habits, the husband claimed to worry but egged her on for clicks. So much for loving couples.

I felt sick. This was what people did for money and fame.

Mia shook the cable. “Hurry up, time’s running out! If you can’t do it, move!”

The wife lost her balance, screamed, and fainted, dangling from her safety line like a rag doll in the wind.

The husband cursed and tried to haul her up. “Quit faking! Get up or I’ll slap you!”

“Oops, I slipped!” I twisted and gave him a shove. “Ah, that scared me!”

He screamed like a stuck pig. “I quit! Someone help!”

A yellow-brown stream trickled down in midair. He’d actually peed himself. I almost felt bad—almost.

Mia flashed me a thumbs-up. “Go!” she urged. “That jerk might drag us down!”

The next second, my rope jerked down—Mia had fallen too.

I forgot my fear and grabbed her. “How? I got it wrong? This panel was supposed to be safe!”

My arms felt like they were being torn off. I gasped, “Climb up first… then think!”

Mia dropped again—her safety rope had come loose. The staff panicked.

“Equipment failure! Get help!”

Mia was truly terrified, crying, “Help me, Autumn… I don’t want to die! Help!”

“Hold on, I won’t let go… you… don’t give up…” My body was wedged on the glass, feeling like I’d be torn in half.

Crack…

I heard my own safety rope creak—the bad kind. Before filming, the director swore on our safety. So why were both our ropes failing?

“Safety rope… props…” I could barely speak. “Charlie?”

“No… I don’t believe it… He wouldn’t! He’s my husband, my husband!”

Pain shot through my right shoulder—dislocated. Agony stole my consciousness. I didn’t know if I was floating on clouds or falling into an abyss.

At the last moment, I thought I saw Carter rushing toward me…

“I’ll be the mom, you be the sister. The bunny is our baby.”

“I’m a boy, I can’t be the sister.”

“You don’t like being the sister? Then be the grandma.”

The little boy in my dream took my hand, eyes shining like gentle lakes.

“Silly, I can be the dad.”