Proeliator

The second person Reina saw getting off the speedboat was the man she had come to kill. His eyes swept past her as his feet landed on the sand. As expected, he didn’t recognize her.

How could he? She was so different from the woman he once knew. Besides, men like him never remember the people they ruin.

The first person she had seen was Jack, the host of the game, who was already striding toward them as they huddled in the shade of the palm trees.

“Everyone ready?” Jack said. “Our secret player has arrived, and we go live in ten minutes. Gather up, everybody.” He gestured for them to follow.

Reina walked with the others to the designated spot, repeatedly glancing at her nemesis.

“Are you excited?” Jack chirped, merrier than Christmas. “The show is starting, people!”

She gave Jack a blank stare. Not that he noticed, distracted as he was by Keta, the influencer, who cackled like a hen, and Blake, the fitness coach, who applauded with enthusiasm. Some of the others also joined in the celebrations, especially the celebrities, the ones accustomed to posing in front of a camera. Most of the non-famous, the ordinaries, bit their lips, chewed their nails, or tapped the ground with restless feet.

Jack, ever the good host, hurried to raise morale. “David, Hana, all of you. Listen to me.” They all fell silent and turned to him. “Don’t worry, this is the only live broadcast we’re doing besides the finale, when we announce the winner. But we have a long way to go until then, so don’t fret about it.” Henry, the professor, snorted, earning a not-so-friendly side-glance from Reina.

“The rest we’ll edit to make you look amazing,” Jack went on. “You’ll be legends, won’t they, Edmond?”

Every head turned. Edmond Bisam, the secret player. Edmond Bisam, the businessman, the genius, the mega-star of the show.

Edmond Bisam, her target.

He smiled, magnanimous as an emperor. “Sure,” he said. “This is history in the making. Trust me.”

Although Jack beamed at his response, Reina noticed the faintest darkness clouding Bisam’s face as he spoke those last words, only for it to vanish an instant later.

“Let’s do this!” Jack clapped his hands, startling her. “Places, everybody!”

Reina felt a light touch on her arm. “You must really be something else to get in at the last minute,” Priya, the Hollywood actress, whispered in her ear. “I am Priya K–”

“I know who you are,” Reina said, cutting her off.

Priya pretended to be flattered. “Then you understand why it would be best if we partnered. My fame, your abilities…” she added with a wink.

“Don’t think so,” Reina muttered, pulling away, and to her relief, Priya shrugged and left to harass someone else.

The contestants shuffled into position, as Jack instructed. Reina stood at the edge, focused on the horizon, willing her feet to stay put.

“Here we go!” Jack shouted. “Andie, get ready to roll!”

Andie, the camerawoman and leader of the filming crew, shifted. The red light blinked.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” Jack’s voice boomed. “To Proeliator! Meaning?” He pointed to the players, who shouted as one: “Fighter!” Jack grinned and returned his attention to the cameras. “The Ultimate Survival Show! I’m your host, Jack Davis, and we are thrilled to bring you this live first look at the contestants who will fight it out on this beautiful, deadly island somewhere in the Marquesas! Twelve competitors, all with one goal: to outlast and outsmart and out-survive the rest.”

Reina felt the pressure of the lens on her, a weight both unsettling and invasive. But these were the terms, this was the battleground. She had a purpose, and she would see this through no matter what. Let the game begin. Let the cameras roll. Let them think she was just another player.

“Only one will win the grand prize,” Jack continued, “but who will it be?”

The cameras zoomed in on the contestants. Keta blew a kiss. Blake flexed his biceps.

Reina barely moved.

“Let’s meet our players!” Jack’s energy was relentless. “First up, we have Priya Kapoor, the Bollywood sensation who landed in Hollywood and shook its foundations like a true Hindu goddess!”

Priya curtsied, her smile a masterpiece.

“Goddess Priya, how do you feel now that the game is starting?” Jack asked, his words dripping with honey.

The actress’s irritating chuckle reached Reina’s ears, and it took plenty of willpower not to roll her eyes.

“I feel wonderful, Jack! I dare say my participation in Proeliator might be the biggest role of my career yet!”

“And it pays better than Hollywood, right?” Jack said with a smirk, and everyone laughed.

Reina just blinked.

“Next, the fitness master, Blake Evans! The man who has trained every man and woman in the country!”

Blake punched the air, every bit the action star. “Hi, Jack, hi everyone!” he said, looking at the cameras.

“Blake, my friend. I am sure you are here to prove what a healthy lifestyle and exercise can do for you, right?”

Blake placed his hands on his hips and grinned a perfect-teeth grin. “I am here to prove that exercise and a healthy lifestyle make you a winner. A Proeliator,” he growled, earning applause and a flirtatious flutter of eyelashes from Keta.

Reina started counting the pebbles on the ground to stop herself from laughing as Jack turned to the overly enthusiastic influencer.

“Keta, aka the Queen of reality television, the biggest influencer of our time! You honor us with your presence, your majesty,” he said with a dramatic bow.

“The Queen has come for her title,” Keta replied, bowing her head in return.

“And the crown, I suppose,” Jack said, winking. “Next up, the infamous professor, the controversial academic, Henry Cole! Henry, are you ready for this?”

The professor, who wore his casual attire like an expensive suit, nodded. “Piece of cake, Jack. I’m betting on myself.”

“Aren’t you concerned about the competition?” Jack asked, gesturing to the rest of the players.

A cocky grin spread across Henry’s face. “The men, maybe. A little.”

Reina shot him another contemptuous glance.

“My dear Henry,” said the woman to his left, checking her perfectly manicured nails. “You remind me of my ex-husbands. Their mouths were bigger than their co-”

“Ooookay,” Jack cut her off with an awkward laugh. “Victoria Smith, the ice queen of prime time!” He turned back to Henry. “Be careful there, my friend, if you don’t want to become old news.”

Reina’s shoulders slumped in defeat as an excited Jack danced around, clearly amused with himself. “See what I did there? See what I did there?” he threw around to the rest of the contestants. He halted, looking at Victoria. “Dear Victoria, how on earth did we win you over the news?”

Victoria crossed her arms, an arrogant smile on her lips. “Don’t worry, Jack. The news finds me wherever I am.”

“You have no idea…” Bisam mumbled.

Reina frowned. Did Bisam have a premonition or something? She shook her head.

Ay, por Dios! Pull yourself together, Reina!

“What’s that, Edmond?” Jack said, drawing Reina’s attention back to them. “You know something the rest of us don’t?”

Bisam crossed his hands behind his back and gazed at Jack with a confident smile. “I always know something the rest of you don’t, my dear Jack.”

The host of Proeliator laughed and gestured to Bisam. “Ladies and gentlemen! Our secret player: The man. The mastermind. The billionaire. You know him! You love him! Edmond Bisam!”

Everyone clapped, except for Reina. She would rather cut off her arms.

Bisam raised a hand. “I’m just a contestant here, like the rest of you.”

Reina sighed. Just as bad an actor as Priya.

“I’m sure we’ll all feel sorry for you when we see you struggling,” Jack joked. “But I must ask you what everyone wonders: Why, Edmond? Why did you join Proeliator? You certainly don’t need the money.”

As the others snickered, Reina glanced at her nemesis.

Why, indeed…

Bisam shrugged. “What can I say? I like challenges.”

“And I like the numbers you’re gonna get us,” said the host, and everyone laughed again.

Jack then turned to the rest of the contestants, the ones straight from the heart of the mundane population. “And now, let’s meet our everyday heroes! Jay Caddel! The man with the muscles and the mystery!”

Jay dipped his head. “Hi, Jack. No mystery. I’m here for the prize.”

Reina looked at the tall, dark, sculpted grace that was Jay.

“A former marine, right, Jay?” Jack said. “I guess that gives you an advantage.” He observed the others, checking for reactions. Reina didn’t miss how Henry puffed his chest and raised his chin in defiance. She snorted.

Jack noticed. “Reina Vega. What’s so funny? Wanna share with the rest of us?”

Shit…

Reina swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. All eyes fixated on her, some gazes merciless, a few with sympathy. For a second, a tiny second that seemed to stretch into an eternity, she wanted to flee.

But then she remembered why she was there. Resolve flooded her insides, anchored her in place. She straightened, met Jack’s gaze head-on. “This is not a game of sharing, Jack. The winner takes all.”

“Watch out, everybody!” Jack said, pointing at her. “Reina is trained in combat and is really desperate for a fresh start. So, Reina. From riches to rags. You lost all your money, and the prize can kickstart your life again. What happened?”

Reina froze. Jack was about to expose her. Bisam would find out, and her plan would be ruined, and–

She glanced at the rest of the players; Jay was looking at her, Priya waved. Bisam didn’t seem to give a damn.

One. Two. Three. Exhale.

Reina gave the host her best empty stare. “Some pretty poor investment choices, Jack. In crypto.”

“I see. Maybe you should take some advice from Edmond here,” he said, and Reina’s breath caught in her throat. Thankfully, before Bisam had time to react, Jack passed to the next player. “My man Trevor! Trevor Morris, a shop owner from Michigan who sells survival gear. Do you also have skills in survival, Trevor?”

Trevor pushed his lanky frame to stay upright. “I’m an expert in survival, and I am here to tell the public the things the government doesn’t want you to know!”

Keta giggled. Henry smirked. Bisam glanced sideways at the guy as if looking at a fly.

Reina was just grateful for the distraction. As for Trevor, she had heard his fringe theories the past couple of days, and she was sure there were more coming.

“This is going to be interesting…” said Jack. “And good for the ratings. Hana, my love, how are you?”

Reina looked at the woman, who nodded with a smile. “I’m fine, thank you, Jack.”

“Hana Lee. A librarian from Seattle and a transgender woman. I bet you know a thing or two about survival, don’t you, Hana?”

As much as Jack seemed genuinely concerned about Hana, Reina hated that he put the woman’s private life in the spotlight. Then again, this was television, reality television. And they all signed up for it.

“I had my share of battles,” said Hana quietly, yet firmly.

Henry scoffed. “That’s what happens when you go against nature.”

Chaos erupted as most players began talking at once, arguing with one another. “Whoa, whoa, guys,” Jack tried to intervene. “Please calm down.” He clapped his hands to get them back in order. “And Henry, save your antagonism for the field.”

Henry tried to speak but was cut off by Martha, the rancher. “He is right,” she told Jack. “To the eyes of our Lord, this,” – she pointed to Hana – “is a sin.”

Havoc reemerged. Reina’s fingers curled into fists, her gaze locked on Martha. Jack clapped and shouted, trying to rein in the players. Not too hard, though.

At the end of the day, this would drive up ratings.

Reina’s eyes searched for Hana. There she stood, silent, unmoving, her lips a thin line.

Victoria remained uninvolved, somehow looking amused and annoyed at the same time. “How delightfully medieval,” she purred.

Martha’s head snapped toward the anchorwoman. “It’s not medieval to hold on to your values! To trust in the Lord’s word!”

As if on cue with divine retribution, the ground shook.

The beach rose in a hump that ran toward the treeline. Trunks rattled, loose fronds slapped each other. Reina staggered as the sand beneath her feet rippled like water, throwing her off balance. Everyone stumbled into one another, a tangle of arms and startled cries. A scream pierced Reina’s eardrums; Keta’s shrill wail as her designer sandal sank three inches into suddenly decomposing earth. The camera crew cursed and scrambled, wrestling with their slipping equipment that tilted and toppled as the beach undulated in slow waves.

“Everyone, remain calm!” Jack shouted. “This will be over–”

The tremor stopped as suddenly as it had started. Reina leaned on a nearby tree, trying to compose herself. An earthquake. She despised earthquakes, despised how they take away control. Her eyes darted up, checking her surroundings, landing on Bisam. He stood still, lips moving silently. Was he praying?

That bastard, praying?

Before she had time to consider Edmond’s unusual behavior, a snail drifted into sight.

Hovering mid-air.

Its shell was rotating counterclockwise as it glided through the branches, leaving behind a line of moisture. Stunned, Reina watched it float, marching on nothing but thin air, a snail that had mastered being a bird. Its glittering trail solidified into crystalline strands that rained down like shattered glass.

What the f–

Reina blinked, her mind grasping for solid ground. Another blink, and the snail disappeared, nowhere to be seen. Not up, not down, not anywhere.

It must be the heat, Reina thought. The damn heat and the damn humidity.