Page 87 of Alien Jeopardy

I am alive.

I am sore, but uninjured.

I’m not alone.

I am not alone.

“I will keep you safe, hyrulis,” he says, as if he’s reading my thoughts.

I open one eye, and he’s crouched in front of me, a worried expression on his face.

“I know you will,” I tell him. It’s true. I know he will do his best.

At some point along the way, I chose to trust him.

Now, I’m sure I can.

He helps me to my feet, and I finally pick the comms tablet off the top of the small table I set it on last night.

A quick look tells me the chat’s been active while Rex and I were… also, ahem, active.

Selene: We had some trouble at dusk

Selene: Did you all get reward challenges

Lucy: Oh we got one. We did not win it.

Lily: We did

Poppy: We had some trouble too

Poppy: I’m using the word trouble very, very loosely

I keep scrolling. I missed a lot. Anything that might have details in it is blacked out.

“It’s weird, right?” I ask Rex. “All the censored messages. Ken really doesn’t want us to meet up with the other couples, it seems like. Anything that might give away where they are… he’s just blacked it out.”

“Created sentient beings like Ken have their own reasoning, and often it has nothing to do with the way you or I would reason.” Rex does look troubled by it, his gaze far away.

“I mean, it must have to do with the way he wants to run the show, right? Like, he is keeping us separate for a reason. Maybe it’s just for the, uh,” my brain stumbles over the word I want. “Story arcs.”

“Maybe,” Rex concedes, but he doesn’t look convinced.

Selene: We made it through the night

Made it through the night? I cringe, feeling something that must be akin to survivor’s guilt. Hell, maybe itissurvivor’s guilt.

Lucy: So did we

Lily: We’re good here too

Poppy: Same.

Poppy: Anyone heard from Ell?

Lucy: Is anyone else still in heat

Lucy: It’s horrible