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He rolled away, and we went to sleep shortly after. I couldn’t stop wondering what everyone’s Personal Tasks had been, and how many of them had been sexual.

The next day, I looked at the others with a critical eye: their hair seemed shinier, their clothes nicer, their tans brighter. But perhaps I was imaginingit.

—

The next coupleof days unfolded in a similar way. We did one or two tasks a day. We got some useful things: a huge sack of peanuts, a beanbag, aloe vera, toothpaste, fruit. But mostly we focused on our Personal Tasks, which were getting better and better all the time. It was a happy period. We drifted around the compound, moving from the sun to the shade, showing each other our rewards, careful not to reveal what we had done to get them. If anyone received food or drink as a reward we always shared it. Evan had earned an inflatable bed, and he spent probably five hours a day floating around on it, a fluorescent drink in his hand. When he wasn’t using it he gave it to Susie, and when she wasn’t using it the rest of us took turns.

Tom still tried to coax us to do tasks, but Andrew insisted we needed to relax. “We’re here to have a nice time,” he reminded us more than once. “We don’t need to constantly be insouciant.”

We were free now to spend time in our couples. Better again, there was time to discuss the couples in detail with the other girls. All the girls gathered for discussions on the patio with cups of iced coffee, except for Vanessa, who had made it clear that she was “not a girl’s girl,” and insteadspent her time in the gym with Tom and Ryan. Vanessa and Tom were coupled up together, and so far as I could tell the only thing that they had in common was their commitment to high-intensity weight training. I wondered if they went to bed and talked about protein supplements.

I thought that Candice seemed the most settled in her couple: she had exclusively shared a bed with Andrew since the first day, and they were undeniably close, talking and touching often. But Candice stayed coy, and only said, “I’m happy, and that’s all you’re getting out of me.”

Susie was with Evan again. She wasn’t sure about him, even though she had fought to get him back from Vanessa. The truth was, none of us thought that they were a good match. Evan clearly liked her, but Susie wasn’t showing much interest in him. “I can’t stand to see him with anyone else, though,” she said. “When I saw him get into Vanessa’s bed I could have killed him. Obviously Vanessa’s gorgeous, but she isn’t any fun. She hardly talks to anyone.I’mfun. But,” she said, sadly, “I don’t really like him. I thought Tom might be fun, but he usually walks away if I try to talk to him. I guess I’m not insouciant enough or whatever.”

“Susie,” Candice said firmly. “That is not how you use that word.”

In the absence of Vanessa telling us about her relationship with Tom we speculated about Vanessa’s relationship with Tom.

“Tom’s starting to be a pain in the ass,” Mia said. “He never shuts up about that fucking door.”

“It’s because of what happened in the desert,” Candice said. We looked at her.

“What happened in the desert?” I asked.

Candice was quiet for a few moments. I knew her well enough now to know that she wasn’t pausing to build suspense: she was judging if it was worth her while to reveal valuable information. For the sake of sisterhood, she said, “He was attacked by a wild dog.”

“I thought that the boys got into a fight,” I said.

“They did,” she said. “That was a separate event.”

“What happened to the dog?” Becca asked.

“What do you think? He killed it. But it got a nice bite out of him first. That’s why he’s so insistent that we get a door. He’s afraid of ananimal getting in.” I tried to imagine killing a dog, even a wild one. I couldn’t picture it. Candice nodded at Jacintha. “How are things in your couple, anyway?”

She sighed. “I’m back with Carlos, but I think I’d rather be with Marcus.”

We all tried not to meet anyone else’s eye. Mia was currently sharing a bed with Marcus. I thought that Mia might have looked shamefaced: she had taken Evan from Susie’s bed, and now Marcus from Jacintha. But Mia had her face tilted up to the sun, eyes closed, unperturbed.

I thought about Sam. I couldn’t imagine charming him into leaving Becca. If Sam changed beds it would be entirely of his own volition.

“I’ll talk to him later—but I don’t want to create an awkward situation,” Jacintha said delicately, trying not to offend Mia.

Mia, however, had no qualms about offending anyone, and said, “Obviously it’s his choice, but things are going well with Marcus and me. Actually, we had alotof fun together last night.”

Candice rolled her eyes. “Nice, Mia. Classy.”

Jacintha said, “What about you, Becca?”

“Sam’s a good guy,” she said. We watched with interest as she blushed. “But, um—I don’t know.”

“What?” Jacintha said encouragingly.

“I’m not sure if he likes me, is all.”

Jacintha stayed quiet, but Candice frowned and said, “He seems protective of you, no?”

“Boys are generally protective of me because I’m small and quiet, I guess.”