Survival Island (reality show)

1. Invitation

In the morning he looks at the invitation again and examines it thoroughly. The wolf is on board with it, it sounded interesting enough for him, but Sebastian needs more information so he reads it again. They haven’t said anything that would hint to illegal or dangerous, the amount of useful information is close to zero. The reward is amazing and it would solve all his immediate problems, but is it worth it? It’s a reality show! Can he do that? In the spotlight, on camera, with people watching?

He reads the invite again and frowns. The more he looks at it, the more dubious it seems. It’s going to take place on an island, but they don’t say which. Twelve participants in total, but nothing about them, not even gender. It should last ten day, but they leave it open for more. Why? No mention of the network that will broadcast the show, if it will make it on the air at all. This thing seems new to him and he never even heard of the company. The WIC. sounds like a logging company not like someone that would organize games or reality TV shows.

‘Having second thoughts? Are you going to chicken out or something?’ His wolf smirks at him.

‘No. I just like to have all the facts before going into a situation.’ Sebastian tells his wolf and smirks. The playful nature of his wolf is back, he’s teasing him again. He was worried that the animal side of him would be traumatized after all the things he has done so far.

‘Overthinking again?’ The wolf smirks and curls up into a ball of fur.

‘Maybe. I‘ll go ask Lorry what she thinks.’ Sebastian answers.

Or maybe not, he swears silently. His black KTM bike is covered in dust and leaves and it looks like a squirrel made a nest in his helmet. He’s been home for two weeks and he never checked inside the shed to see how his bike is. This mess needs to be cleaned before he goes anywhere. He thought his little brother was taking care of his cottage, but apparently Sam was too busy chasing skirts to do anything. Mom told him she cleaned the cottage when he called that he’s coming home, but she never touched a bike in her life. His sensible mother is a certified truck lover and her vintage Ford is the only motorized thing she cares for.

Sebastian sighs deeply and starts digging his bike out of the leaves and dirt that accumulated in the year since he rode it last. He carefully relocates the helmet with the squirrel family and thinks where his spare is. It should be around somewhere, but that he will worry about later. If his bike doesn’t start up, he will have to walk to town.

‘How about a nice run? Let me out, I can be there in fifteen minutes.’ The wolf perks up and his eyes glisten with excitement.

‘What about groceries?’ Sebastian asks him.

‘I'm not lugging a bag of groceries around. That would be degrading.’ The wolf shakes his head.

‘The bike it is then. We’re out of everything.’ He laughs and gets a cloth to dust off the bike. Starting it up will be a pain. He can see the dirt clogged up around the carburetor.

Cleaning the bike takes so much time, he needs to hurry to catch Lorry before her shift at the Diner ends. He is not sure where they stand with their relationship right now. Are they a thing or not? He told her he’s back and that he needs some time away from people, but she is always welcomed to come by. She hasn’t and he starts to think that she might be tired of waiting for him and she found someone else. The words she said when he went on his last mission are still resounding in his head: “I can’t be faithful to a ghost! You’re never around!”

He rides carefully over the forest trail down to the road and into town. The Diner is on the main road, the hardware store and the general shop a few houses down and a few boutiques on the other side. He loves the small town and he hopes a big shopping mall or those chain shops never come into this part. They would ruin the carefully balanced ecosystem of small local shops and the farmers market.

Lorry is still in the Diner, he can see her through the window. Her long blond hair carefully coiled up into a tight bun and that uniform her boss makes her wear that shows way too much of her long legs. He smiles at the image, he still loves her. He leaves the helmet on the bike and strides up the stairs. He hopes she won’t turn him down and talk to him. He missed her, even if she had a problem with his job and cursed him for it. He doesn’t like her uniform, but he never said a word. It’s her choice where she works.

“Hey, Lorry.” Sebastian greets her with a smile. “Do you have some of that elk stew left?”

“Well! Look who the cat dragged in.” Lorry laughs at him and she is just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. “Got tired of the fish?”

“Nah. I just wanted to see you.” He smiles back at her.

“Come sit at the bar, we have to talk.” She says and walks away from him.

He looks around and the place seems deserted at this hour. There is one out of town trucker in the corner booth and it looks like a few people just left by the state of two tables. He shakes his head and sits at the bar. It’s almost time for her shift to end, but she never left a mess for her coworkers before. What is going on with Lorry? Her usual bright smile and cheerful nature is missing, too. She tried to mask that by laughing, but he knows her well. Something is off.

Lorry brings him his stew and rushes to clean the tables without a single word for him. Weird, but he can wait. She gave him two weeks, he can give her a few minutes. She will talk when she’s ready. He starts to eat and the stew is just as he remembers it, the corn bread that came with it is even hot and fresh from the oven. Just perfect to make him salivate and enjoy a hometown specialty. The ding of the bell over the door makes him look up and he smiles. Marjorie rushes in, her hair is a mess, her uniform is askew and she shouts an apology, before she comes to a halt in the middle of the Diner.

“Holy s**t!” Marjorie exclaims and glances between Lorry and him.

“Nice to see you, too.” Sebastian smiles at her. “I guess you still haven’t gotten used to being the boss?”

“What?” She looks at him all confused.

“The uniform. I just thought you would wear something else now, since you call the shots around here?” Sebastian smiles at her.

“Oh, that. Haven’t thought about it.” Marjorie stutters and disappears out back.

“Is it something I said?” Sebastian asks Lorry.

“No.” She shakes her head at him. “It’s something I haven’t.”

Sebastian looks at her, really looks at her and she is different. There is something about her, he can’t pinpoint. She still smells the same, still uses the same vanilla perfume she likes so much. She is acting weird, though.

“I’m here for you if you want to talk.” He tells her.

“Are you? For how long?” Lorry whispers and sits by his side at the bar.

“So, that’s what’s worrying you?” He chuckles. “I’m out of the military, I’m retired.”

Lorry looks at him with her mouth hanging open and she gapes like she can’t believe what he said. He knows it’s strange, because his career in the army was all he ever talked about. She knew that and it’s the main reason why she couldn’t commit to him. The constant leaving and going on dangerous assignments was the wedge in their relationship for so long, they even had an inside joke about it.

“Oh, Bass…” Lorry hugs him and she even uses the nickname she gave him in seventh grade, when they were best friends and played together after school. “I did something stupid. I ruined everything.”

“What is it, love?” He asks her gently.

“I cheated on you and I got pregnant.” She whispers into his collar.

“Someone I know?” Sebastian asks and holds her back from him. He wants to see her eyes when she tells him.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Someone from out of town. He was here with some friends. They were up by the river on a fishing trip. I swear it was just that one time.”

“I can’t say it’s OK, love.” Sebastian looks her in the eyes with a sad smile. “But I still love you. We’ll figure it out.”

“See! I told you, he won’t throw a fit.” Marjorie shouts from the kitchen. She was listening in on the conversation all along. “You’ve got the best guy in town.”

“Are you really not angry?” Lorry inquires.

“No. I know how much you want a child, but hybrid children are so rare it was a long shot.” Sebastian tells her. “Now you have a child and it’s half you, so it can be all ours.”

“Oh my God! You’re so sweet.” Lorry exclaims and hugs him again. “I love you, too.”

Sebastian thinks about the prospect of a baby and now the cash reward for Survival Island is even more appealing to him. But what will she say if he leaves again? It’s supposed to be a very short time? But what if it’s not? He needs to ask her. He just made a commitment to her and her baby. She needs to have a say in this.

“I actually came to ask you something. I got this weird invitation for a reality TV show called Survival Island. Have you ever heard of it? Or the company The Forest Inc.?” Sebastian asks her over coffee.

“Never heard of it.” She says. “Are you thinking of going?”

“Yes. It’s supposed to be ten days, add a few to get there and back, I would be gone for a month.” He nods at her. “The main prize is a million. We could have that ice cream shop you dream about.”

“Is this a joke?” She gulps.

“No.” He laughs and hands her the envelope. “See for yourself.”

He watches her for any reaction while she reads the invitation. Will she say yes? He admits there is not much information there and it worries him, but he can take care of himself. It’s what he does, it’s what he was trained for.

‘And it sounds fun.’ The wolf smirks.

‘It does. What do you think about the baby? Will she say no to Survival Island because of it?’ Sebastian inquires.

‘Baby is a gray area. I can’t say anything till I see it... her...him? Em? How do you address a baby?’ The wolf sounds confused.

‘I don’t really know. I guess we’ll wait and see what gender it is.’ He tells his wolf.

“Have you tried to search about this on the internet?” Lorry asks him. “I admit it’s a bit weird. How did they even get your address?”

“No. I can do that now. You know my cabin only gets a shabby phone signal.” He tells her and opens a search engine on his phone. “The address thing is confusing to me too. I haven’t done any surveys, I haven’t signed up for anything.”

“What did you find?” She leans over his arm to peak at his phone.

“The same sparse information that is in the invite. They use a lot of military jargon in the company description. Maybe it’s someone I served with?” He shrugs. “I thought they would have more on their page if they are doing a reality show. It looks like it’s set up with tabs to open, but there is nothing posted yet. They have some old stuff on the history page, but all I see are pictures of a jungle.”

“I don’t know.” Lorry looks at him. “Do you want to go? I mean for you, not for the money. You know we can manage even without that.”

“I know.” He laughs. “Having the cash never hurts, but it sounded fun when I first read it. Crawling through the jungle, avoiding traps, finding food on your own. It would be a huge opposite to the desert I know.”

“There is nothing really exciting about the woods here at home. Am I right?” Lorry winks at him.

“No.” He chuckles. “It’s peaceful and quiet and I like it that way.”

“Alright. One last adventure and then you’re all mine.” Lorry smiles at him.