Partner Games
Page 23

She put her arm around my shoulders, pulling me against her. “You’re just entirely too trusting, Clem. I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.”
I snuggled down against my twin in the back of the taxi, feeling guilty that I was being so irresponsible.
I was simply going to have to play a better game.
 
~~ * * * ~~
 
One plane and several hours later, we were taking a train in Switzerland to Gstaad Palace. Georgie and I had ended up at the back of the plane, with the men at the front. The other teams had piled out, and there’d been a mad rush to the train station, and we ended up missing our connection by five minutes.
We were the only ones on the second train. The guys hadn’t waited for us. I didn’t blame them. They’d probably panicked at the sight of all the other teams flooding onto the trains…but still.
It made me think about that drink that Swift had given me earlier. Had it been harmless? Or was there an ulterior motive?
I hated that I had to question everything. That I couldn’t just trust the guy I was crushing on because we were in a game for a million dollars. Georgie was right. We might be working together, but if the finish line stood between the two of us, I knew what he’d pick. He wanted to win, and he wanted to win for his dad. I got that, I really did. I couldn’t fault the guy for having family loyalty. It was sweet.
But the memory of Georgie telling me not to trust him and the fact that they hadn’t waited for us at the train had put me in a crap mood. Unlike my twin, I didn’t think Swift was out to sabotage me. I knew if I thought about it logically, it just made sense that he’d handed me a drink, and the drink happened to be alcoholic. He didn’t know I was such a lightweight, and neither of us had thought about the possibility of another task. Heck, we’d both thought we were heading straight for the next rest area, not the airport.
But that was logic, and logic wasn’t easy to hold onto when hurt feelings were around. And the hurt feelings had taken precedence the moment the first train had pulled away and no one was left at the station but me and Georgie.
I kept nursing that hurt as the train disembarked at Zweisimmen and we switched to a taxi that would take us the rest of the way through the mountains and to Gstaad Palace. Gstaad itself was the exact image of what a Swiss village should look like, tiny chalet-type buildings nestled amidst cobblestone streets and surrounded by green mountains. If I hadn’t been so awash in confusion, I might have enjoyed the sight of it.
“Is that the palace? It looks like a gigantic hotel,” Georgie observed, peering out the window as we studied a map of the area.
It did kind of look like a hotel, I thought. A big, white boxy one with a lot of floors. But it was pretty and looked posh and I was all for a day’s relaxation at a swanky hotel. “I hope that’s where we’re sleeping.”
My hopes went down as the taxi pulled up and there was a man standing on a World Races logo mat. He wore suspenders and shorts, with a goofy little hat. As we piled out of the taxi, he held a disk out for us.
I groaned. Day wasn’t over.
I paid the taxi as Georgie took the clue from him, and then we read it together. Hike up the mountain to Walig Hut, where you will spend the next twenty four hours in rustic luxury! Four tents have been provided for the eight remaining teams. The last team to show up at the Hut will be eliminated.
“Oh crap,” I breathed. “I think we’re out, Georgie.”
“Not necessarily. Someone could have been behind us.” Her voice was firm and she grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s find the trail that leads up to the hut in the mountains. It’s not over until it’s over.”
Shouldering our bags, we found the marked trail and began to hike. It was getting late, and the day had been ultra-long. My watch read ten at night local time and the sun was just now starting to go down, twilight making the trail even darker.
The hike took hours. By the time we saw the flickering light of torches, I was just glad that the day would soon be over. We’d go home, lick our collective pride, and that would be it. Life would go back to normal. “We gave it our best, Georgie,” I told my twin sadly. “I’m sorry we didn’t win.”
“It’s all right,” she said, putting her arm around my waist in a half-hug as we walked. “We had fun.”
We had. I looped my arm around my twin’s waist, and then we continued on toward the line of flickering torches.
Chip stood on the mat, waiting. A few other teams milled nearby, waiting to see us get eliminated. I sighed to myself as I saw a familiar face and forced myself to look away from Swift, concentrating on the mat instead.
A camera zoomed in just as Georgie and I stepped onto it to accept our fate.
“Red Team,” Chip said in a grave voice. “You ladies are a little behind everyone else.”
“We missed the first train,” Georgie said, her voice strong. “It happens.”
He nodded. “Clementine? Do you have anything to add?”
I thought for a moment. “Nope. We did what we could.”
Chip peered at us in the darkness. “Well, I’m afraid I have to let you know…”
I braced myself, shoulders tense.
“…that you are team number eight.”
I exhaled so loudly I thought I was going to vomit.
“What?” said Georgie faintly.
“You are not the last team to arrive,” Chip said, grinning. “How does this make you feel?”
“Like I want to puke,” I said.
A few people nearby laughed.
Chip produced a clue disk. “This is your next clue. You’ll start from here in twenty-four hours exactly. Until then, relax, eat, and enjoy yourselves.”
Georgie took the clue and tucked it under her arm, and we wandered away from the mat, dazed. I released my twin, and Swift approached me to pull me into a hug, his arms wide.
I sidestepped, avoiding him. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
To my side, Georgie gave a whoop and then leapt onto Plate, wrapping her arms and legs around him like a spider monkey. “We’re still in,” she screamed. “Fuck yes!”
“Yeehaw!” Plate said, twirling my twin around.
I gaped at them.
Well, what the hell was that about? Were we with the black team or against them? Were they the enemy or our friends?
Why was my twin constantly changing her mind?
“You okay?” Swift asked.
“I think I’m going crazy,” I said, putting a hand to my forehead.
 
 
Chapter Fifteen
 
 
“I almost feel like I need to warn Plate away from Georgie. Rule one of the bro code is ‘never let your buddy stick his dick in crazy’.” — Swift, Team One Percent, The World Races
 
 
The moment I got Georgie to myself, we were going to have a talk. Twin to twin, heart to heart. I needed to know what’s going on in that head of hers.
Unfortunately, that moment wouldn’t be anytime soon, because the camp was crawling with other players. I saw Jendan and Annabelle snuggling next to a campfire, the Red Hat ladies and the Doctor Moms chatting with the Green Machine. Team Daddy and Team Houston had their heads together, and of course, Swift and Plate were waiting for me and Georgie. There’s not an ounce of privacy.