Live chat warning: lots of comments ahead!
Moon Bay sat cradled in the mountains. There was a local legend that on full-moon nights the lake turned a pale gold, and anyone who drank that golden water would live forever.
No one had proven whether the tale was true. Whether the lake ever actually glowed gold, or if it was just moonlight catching the water, nobody could say for sure.
"This season our production invested heavily in satellite uplinks. With the crew house as the center, the signal covers roughly a 12-mile radius. If you move beyond about twelve miles, the wristwatch you were given will flash red and send an alert. Guests—please stay within the live-stream's signal range and stay safe. Tomorrow morning at first light we'll begin our two-day, one-night expedition up Mount Luma!"
After dinner the production team gathered the seven guests who had already arrived in the ground-floor lounge of the crew house for a short briefing. The point was to introduce Easton Village and the theme of this episode.
"We'll split into two teams of four. Team pairings will be drawn tomorrow morning. The two teams will compete within the live-stream coverage area. The production has placed various supplies and survival gear around the zone—those caches also carry points."
"By 6 p.m. the next day, our staff will use the tracking to pick everyone up. The team with the most points will not only get a luxury dinner but also a two-million-dollar donation to the charity the show supports."
Hearing the plan, the guests had mixed reactions. Ollie Blake and Jade Hayes didn't look too worried—they were both little oddities, street-smart in a way. Before they'd grown into what they were now, they'd run wild across hills; two days and a night, or even a couple of weeks outdoors, wouldn't faze them. The others weren't so sure.
Mason Yu was a rich kid who'd only ever done boot-camp style training for a military drama; now, he probably wouldn't last long out in the bush.
Theo Adams was a homebody who lived in his studio writing songs—exercise wasn't part of his day.
Shane Keane had branded himself as a fitness guy, but his true endurance was his secret.
Grace Jiang was a singer who'd recently filmed a modern, tragic series where the heroine developed depression and was forced to starve herself. Grace had actually lost a lot of weight and nearly ended up in the hospital with hypoglycemia.
The one with the best stamina, oddly enough, was Anna Lang—an idol who looked like a delicate sweet girl but was Top 2 in her girl group. Their practice schedule had been brutal lately; she was used to staying in the studio until midnight, which explained her endurance.
[Production is insane. Two days and a night out in basically undeveloped wilderness? Who signed off on this? What if something happens to a guest? Are they ready to be responsible?]
[Awww I feel for Grace. She looked so fragile in the paparazzi photos during the weight loss—makeup can't hide how sick she looked. Production's being so reckless.]
[Even if everything's on camera, that terrain has too many unknowns. What if something happens and viewers see it but there's no way to stop it?]
[Chill—I grew up nearby. The area the show picked is the kind of place villagers go to for firewood or bamboo shoots; there's mushrooms too. When I was a kid we'd go after crayfish in the creek. The part of the mountain close to the village is full of life; not that dangerous.]
[Right—if I remember, north of Easton Village there's a little creek about three or four miles up. I used to grab fish there with my cousin after graduation. Wow, Theo's literally in my hometown. If I weren't at work I'd rush over.]
[If safety's guaranteed then the main worry is stamina. Classic production move. But who's the eighth guest? They still haven't arrived—are they saving that reveal for tomorrow morning?]
[Ugh—if it's Julian North, isn't his strength not great? I heard he left the industry to go overseas for treatment. If he's back he must be better now, but does that mean another sick guest?]
[What treatment would cause you to leave? If he were actually sick he'd be on social media begging for sympathy, that rumor's weak.]
[You…never mind. Mason acts like he's magnetically attracted to Julian every time the camera's on. It's weird.]
[Girl, why are you so excited when everyone else's faces are long? Is this okay?]
[LOL Anna's like a tiny wild animal about to be released. So excited.]
[Jade and Ollie whispering—what secrets are you hiding? Say it loud!]
[Jade seems so icy but she's talkative in private? They've been whispering for ten minutes. Why won't they stop?]
[Why's everyone watching Ollie and Jade? Jealousy? Shipping? OTP detected.]
[?]
[?]
[Wait…someone's shipping Ollie and Shane? That can't be real—this pairing would make the actual people throw up. They barely meet; if anything they'd fight. What pair is this?]
[This is the weird #dualmalelead ship you love—rivalry and tension galore.]
[What a mess. I want a breakup ending.]
"Hey Ollie, do you think we could find any moonvine tomorrow? I heard having moonvine in your kit gives a +2 on the exam. That's two whole points!"
Ollie's eyes lit up. "Oh—good idea. I'll look it up."
He'd scored only thirteen out of twenty on last year's practical exam. Two bonus points would take some pressure off the written test.
"Hope we get paired together tomorrow," Jade said.
"Same—bring Julian too. Just not Shane, not Mason."
Ollie remembered Julian had just recovered from a serious illness and was still weak. This was a one-off show; they could suffer through it together.
Jade, forever gossip-hungry, grinned. "So it is Julian? Wait, I heard you two share a manager now. Are you close? Mason always acts like he's in love with Julian, and now he's flipping on the rest of us—true story?"
Ollie: "…"
"We've met once," he said. "Also, shipping people only hurts you in the end."
Jade waved that off. "Soft leading-man, brooding heartthrob vs. rich younger lover? That's prime shipping fodder. I'll take a bite."
Saying it out loud, Ollie had to admit he kind of understood the appeal—just a little. He found himself glancing at Mason. He couldn't read faces professionally, but Mason carried a faint, almost metallic gold glow. Beneath that shimmer there was a trace of shadow—someone who'd done both noble and morally gray things. Julian, by contrast, felt very clean—no stain. In that sense, Julian and Mason didn't exactly complement each other.
"Ollie, what are you staring at? Stop or the live chat will notice!" Jade whispered into his ear. It was an aural transmission; only they heard it. Ollie snapped his gaze back.
Of course the live chat had already noticed—both of them had decent followings, and whispered conversations in a corner were as obvious to viewers as they were to the other guests.
But honestly, there was zero romantic chemistry between Ollie and Jade. To everyone they looked like an older sister and a younger brother—cozy and wholesome. No one was shipping them seriously; they were simply open about their friendship.
"Jade! What are you and Ollie gossiping about? Can I come in?" Grace butted in before Shane could get a word. She'd clearly been watching their interaction and didn't trust Mason. She'd seen the way Ollie had been treated on the plane—Mason would surely cause trouble if given the chance.
Grace elbowed Jade. Jade got the hint.
"We're talking about what plants to look for in the woods—things that'll help with the exam," Jade said.
Grace and Anna hurried over. "What plants? What exam? You guys have tests?" they pressed.
Jade and Ollie exchanged a pair of long-suffering looks. Jade pointed at herself. "Graduate school exam."
Then she pointed at Ollie. "He's taking the university entrance exam."
Right—Jade had already been through a human university. For supernatural beings, some applied directly to advanced programs; Jade was applying for graduate-level entry at Riverside University. It was not unheard-of but rare for a supernatural being not to have attended a human undergraduate to jump straight into Riverside's grad program.
Grace hesitated—bringing up Ollie's lack of formal schooling on the live stream could be rough. It wasn't a huge secret in the community, but it was still sensitive.
"Oh." Anna chimed in at the right moment. "We've all got exams next month too—ugh."
The mood sank.
"Well, everybody's suffering then," Ollie said calmly and flopped back onto the couch.
"I've got a new album in the works next month and my demo's been bounced back three times this week—ugh," Theo grumbled, joining the chorus. Before long a mini support group formed, everyone trading complaints about tests, songwriting, practice—two of them, Shane and Mason, who relied on variety shows to stay relevant, suddenly felt left out of the commiseration.
The director noticed the atmosphere and checked the time. Someone came in to break them up.
"Friends and viewers, it's 9 p.m. We're going to wrap the live stream for tonight. See you at seven in the morning! At the morning meeting, all eight guests will set out together on this thrilling journey!"
Whether the trip was truly thrilling or terrifying, Caleb Ross—their manager—found the whole thing exciting.
As soon as they turned the stream off and checked Instagram, several trending topics were already high.
#OllieJadeExam
#ShaneMasonStrainedOnSet
#WeAreAllStruggling
#OllieEducation
Caleb closed his eyes and breathed in. Some things were inevitable.
— — —
Little interlude
A tiny hamster was playing in the woods when a cat-hunter caught it. The hunter took the hamster to the cat market to sell. A big black cat descended from the sky and immediately fell for the soft, sesame-sized, squishy hamster. The black cat beat up the hunter who'd bullied the little creature and brought the hamster home. From then on the village cats often saw the big black cat parading the plush hamster on its head like a prize.
Cats everywhere: Support Mousey—one cat-paw up!
Big black cat: Mine. Not yours.
Mousey.
Half-Summer Stories—lots of joy