Chapter Text
Charlie Martin was going to the final four.
Not even Rob Armstrong could hold her down.
That was the first and only thought in Charlie's mind as she sprinted across the finish line. Her legs were still dripping with water, wet clumps of sand clinging to her arms and hair. She couldn't bring herself to care. After some of the worst physical endurance of her life, the challenge was over, and she was the first to cross the finish line. That meant immunity. That meant safety. Her pounding heartbeat felt like a mantra, chanting silently, 'I won. I won. I won.'
It had been five years. Five years since the worst betrayal of her life was plastered on every silver screen in the country. Charlie trusted Rob Armstrong at her most vulnerable. He manipulated her. Rob walked out a winner, and she walked out the loser. That alone was brutal, but the public reaction was far worse. Five years of horrible backlash, laughter, and threats made at her expense. Why? For trusting a man she thought could have loved her? Rob didn't bother speaking to her after the show, and somehow, Charlie convinced herself that was for the best. A backstabbing piece of shit like him didn't deserve her, anyway.
That didn't make it easy to move on. Anyone would've taken a second chance at life after a humiliation like that. A way to rewrite history as the victor. It was even better to have someone looking out for you on the producers' team. So when Charlie got the offer to return to the show, she took it blindly.
Riley had made sure of that.
Charlie spat what was left of the salt water from her mouth. She squinted up at the sun, trying to ignore how her eyes stung. Where was Riley anyway? She finally glanced back at the course to catch a glimpse of her favorite producer. After all, Riley never strayed too far from her. After the delirium of the past 24 hours, all Charlie wanted was to sink into her arms and forget about everything. Rest. Recover. Put the whole damn show behind her.
God, she felt like she'd been going crazy. Some of the things Riley said to her...well, if she'd said them at all. At least, Charlie thought that they'd had a conversation about this challenge. Hadn't they? Maybe the adrenaline was really getting to her head. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. That's when she finally caught her eye.
She'd been expecting Riley to be grinning at her, cheering her on, ready to pull her into a tight embrace as soon as the cameras cut. Maybe, after production had wrapped up for the day, Riley would share her room for the night, all hushed whispers and soft smiles. After all, this had been their dream, right? Their shared goal. Riley wasn't looking at her at all. She was staring at her tablet silently, jaw set tight. Her lips were pursed into one thin line. At that point, Charlie realized none of the cameras were on her. That was abnormal. When someone wins a challenge, they're usually flanked by at least two cameras.
"Riley!" Charlie yelled out, waving her hand wildly. She knew she shouldn't have. Charlie wasn't meant to be referring to the producers at all when the film was rolling, Riley hated it when she drew attention to their dynamic in public. She couldn't bring herself to care. Charlie earned this. She earned the win, and she earned Riley's attention.
Riley's head shot up from whatever she was watching. For just a moment, they locked eyes. There was a heaviness to her gaze that made Charlie's smile falter. It was the same look she'd given Charlie night before, the look Charlie was half sure she'd imagined. Analytical. Removed. Her gaze stayed fixed on Charlie as her hand slowly lifted to her headset. Listening.
"...Someone get Patel's guys out there." She finally muttered, eyes flicking back down to the screen. And despite being yards away from her, Charlie suddenly understood her crystal clear. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.
"Oh, C'mon, he's fine!" Charlie attempted a light laugh, but it came out shrill. It was reality television; Rob was just being dramatic. It had to be. Riley was doing her job, after all, putting on a show for everyone on set. "He just can't handle seeing me win!" She yelled out, as a rasp crept into her tone. Why wasn't anyone paying attention to her? This was supposed to be her big moment! Riley had promised this would be her moment. The shit she had to do to get here, the things she had to say, it was all meant to pay off right here, right now.
A few crewmembers, whom Charlie blearily identified as medics of some kind, burst out from the shed nearby. Charlie knew the big screens were in there - Patel's crew watched everything. She wiped her brow, heart hammering harder and harder. Damn sun. Damn heat. She started jogging over to Riley, because if anyone knew what was going on, it would be her. There was so much chaos anyway, no one would know. No one would care. As Riley heard her approach, her head shot up.
"Don't." She said, voice cold as steel. Charlie faltered for a moment, shoes digging into the sand. Riley never sounded like that when talking to her. It was as if all of the gentle affection had been sucked out of her, replaced with a calculated caution that was usually reserved for...other people. Charlie just wanted to collapse. The challenge was horrible, and she needed water. Why was Riley being so difficult? What did she do?
"What do you mean? Is this about-?" Charlie sputtered, cutting herself off as Riley raised a hand for her to stop.
"You can't talk to me right now." She spoke low. Her eyes flicked back and forth, from side to side of the screen. Then she grabbed her water bottle with white knuckles and screwed off the cap, dropping it into the sand. It vaguely registered to Charlie that her hands were shaking. It wasn't like Riley to get so riled up over something as simple as a challenge win. She reached to grab Riley's hand, but Riley swatted her away. "Charlie. Don't say a fucking word. To anyone. About any of this." She hissed through gritted teeth. "I don't even want to see you when the cops get here."
"The cops?" Charlie sputtered, but Riley had already taken a sharp turn away from her. She started jogging back toward the shed. Charlie fumbled to pick up the lid from her water, long forgotten now. That's when it finally started to hit her. The chaos around her, the people yelling. There was a panic in the air, an urgency that all stemmed from the same place. Her eyes followed the few crewmembers left, running back toward the water. Rob wouldn't have gone in the water, not with that mask. He wouldn't be that stupid. Would he? Bile rose in her throat.
Something was wrong, and Charlie knew that she had something to do with it.