Survivor: Percabeth AU✔️

final three

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash 

The first thing I feel when I wake up is my anxiety. I groan, my stomach churning wildly and cramping. Today is so critical for me. I need to somehow win over the jury, who some I have screwed over and voted out. It's all a fine balance.

The sky has no clouds in sight today. It is all so clear, so blue, with a subtle breeze that carries fresh salt smells. I watch it all, breathing deeply for a little while - letting myself regain control over my anxiety. It is a relationship in a way, to me. I do not let anxiety push me around, though it occasionally consumes me entirely. I do everything in my power to not let it take away vital moments for me. I talk back to it, telling it I know the situation isn't as drastic as it makes it out to be. I tell myself I am okay. I think about every good thing, every idol I have, every person I love, every amazing experience in my life. I think about the goodness that is to come. That every storm passes.

I breathe in, my chest hurting. Take a moment, Annabeth, I tell myself. Take a moment. It's okay. You can do this. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

You are going to move in five seconds. Ready? One. Two. Breathe. Three. Four. Breathe. Five.

I push off the bamboo bed, and see Lee twiddling her fingers, staring out at the ocean. I walk over to her, taking it all in. "How do you feel about today?"

She looks over at me, saying, "I feel like they all dislike me. I have no chance, no matter how hard I played this game."

I shrug, "Well, if you doubt yourself like that - then you don't have a chance."

Lee sighs, running hands through her hair, "I'm just so nervous. I mean, we all feel the pressure, right? We have played our butts off for this one moment. I feel like a dancer, waiting for her moment on the stage."

I find myself nodding. "I guess, all we can do is let the moment come, endure it and go."

"I guess."

Licking my lips, I ask, "What questions do you think they'll ask?"

"I don't know, the normal stuff about how to prove we played a better game than the other two or answering a petty jab to heal their hurt feelings for being voted out."

I walk away after that, taking the extra time for myself. I need to walk into that jury with a clear mind, no emotions brewing, no lingering thoughts of negativity and self-doubt.

***

The jury all sit a little more glamorous than usual. They watch us with hawk eyes as we walk in and I can't help but feel small. Amidst the anxiety, I pull myself up straighter and give them a polite smile. Three stools made out of tree stumps are ready for us to sit on and I take the right hand one. It begins to rain, growing steadier by the minute.

The jury now gets to question us for everything in the game as it helps them all decide who will get the million-dollar prize at the end. I know I've made some enemies or some people cross in terms of voting them out, but hopefully, they view it as good gameplay.

Jeff greets us in the pouring rain, a wonderful and cold night for the final tribal where the jury will grill us on our gameplay. My teeth chatter. He says, "Welcome to the final tribal council where your final battle is against each other and to persuade the jury that you are the most deserving for the title of Sole Survivor and the million-dollar grand prize."

I inhale deeply, squinting at him through the rain. I hear Hazel mutter, "Anyone have a jacket," and smile a little, knowing we're all struggling in the elements together.

Jeff continues, "We will begin with the Outwit portion of the game. This is the social part of the game, the alliances, relationships, mortality, and ethics of how that may apply to you. Who wants to get us going?"

"I'll do it, Jeff," I hear Debbie say. Huh, I forgot about her. She straightens herself from where she sits, looking at us each before speaking. "First off, congratulations on making it this far in the game. Lee, you have shown a great amount of arrogance in this game - ranging from how you acted in front of the jury and as a tribemate. Do you have any regrets for the arrogance you've portrayed to put your butt in that seat right now?"

I cough. Lee stares at Debbie before replying, "Arrogance for me is not a good word or trait on someone. I often put a mask over my insecurities. I battle with them every day and my gameplay was about performing confidence to get through. I am deeply sorry if that confidence was viewed as arrogance to you."

"Reyna," Jeff calls up next.

"Hazel," she says. "you have brought in loyalty, integrity, and honour into a season filled with people who have none. Annabeth, you have lied and manipulated unlike Hazel in this game. How are you deserving of the title of Survivor?"

My brain stumbles for a millisecond at the switch of people she's talking to. I process her words, them stinging a tiny bit but discard her bitter tone. Folding my hands over my knees, I don't look at Percy's angry expression toward Reyna. I say, "Yes, I did lie in this game. But I did what I had to do and I will not apologize for working my butt off to be in this spot today. Anytime there was a decision that was in direct conflict with what I wanted to do, I faced it head-on and did not for one second put my strategic brain on the shelf like Hazel had a few times." Sorry Haz.

"Moving on to outplay; Travis," Jeff says.

Travis walks up, nodding at Reyna who walks back to her seat. He faces us with a stoic face, saying, "Survivor is a game of big moves, but I want to hear about your more subtle ones. What is a subtle move that has aided in getting you in this position to date? Lee first."

Lee nods warmly at her former ally, saying, "A more subtle move on my part was working with Annabeth on a vote. Everybody knows we are each other's biggest competition, but gaining enough of her trust to get yet another threat out was a big but subtle move for me."

Hazel goes next, saying, "My subtle move was connecting with people on an easier sort of friendship level. I was able to gain everyone's trust and use it to my advantage on various occasions."

I realize after a couple of seconds she is done and it's my turn to speak. I clear my throat. "Uhm, my move was slowly wiggling my way through the cracks of the alliances when I came back from the edge of extinction. It was not easy, and I knew I had to be subtle about it and under the radar as the target on my back was massive."

Travis nods, looking to Jeff, "Thank you, I'm done."

Jeff gestures for the next person, who happens to be Percy. I sit up a little straighter seeing him stop in front of us. He says, "I wanted to go into this vote open-minded. So, Hazel, you didn't seem all that aware of what was going on around you. Annabeth told you to do things and you were running around trying to figure out what was going on. Do you have an example of when you didn't follow your alliance's wishes and did something on your own?"

Someone in the jury whistles and I agree. Percy came down hard on Hazel. I know he knows she did do something, get him out. And I just think he wants her to own up to it so he can move on. Which, thankfully, she does. Hazel speaks, "I knew you were a massive threat to my game. Annabeth was obviously never going to vote you out, so I went against our alliance's plan and voted you out Percy. And for the record, there were numerous times I acted on my own agenda."

"Anything else you want to say, Percy?" Jeff asks.

Percy rubs his hands together in the cold, saying, "Yes, Jeff, one more thing. I wanted to congratulate you all for being here. But I wanted to tell you, Annabeth, just how proud I am of you and how intimidating and impressive your gameplay has been. You have my vote." 

For what feels like an hour goes by of them all grilling us with either petty questions or admirable ones. I defend myself and I say thank you. But like always, the jury must come to a decision at one point. 

Jeff says, "Jury I'm going to give you a moment to take in everything you just heard and you will make the single biggest decision of this game." 

Have a great day/night wherever you are! - The Fangirl