schemers Keri and Lucy because they’re allied against us.’ The viewers will remember, that’s for sure.”
“Rico wants to show the talent agents who’ll be watching that he has range,” Ty said dryly. “That he’s not just a song-and-dance man.”
“Yeah, he’s good at brooding and backstabbing,” Reggie observed. “The kid does have that slightly sleazy manner about him, too. A handy survival trait in showbiz.”
“I can see Rico winning an Oscar someday. Unless he decides to run for political office instead,” murmured Ty. “He’d do well in that arena, too.”
Having completed her task of baiting the hooks, Shannen looked up and saw Ty filming her. She shot him a withering glare before looking away.
“Looks like she’d enjoy baiting those hooks with pieces of you, Ty.” Reggie guffawed. “Y’know, for somebody who volunteered to be on this show, she sure hates having the camera on her. I think I’m starting to be able to tell which twin is which, just from that. Lauren doesn’t pay any attention to the camera, but Shannen looks as if she’d like to shove it down your throat.”
“You noticed that, too?” Ty was casual.
Reggie nodded. “We’re not the only ones to wonder. I logged onto the Internet last night, and there’s a debate going on as to why the twins auditioned to be on this show in the first place. Especially since Shannen looks eternally ticked off because she’s here.”
“Remember their interview tapes? Both twins said they did it as a lark,” said Ty.
He didn’t add that he wondered himself why the Cullen twins had auditioned for the show. The “for a lark” reason didn’t ring true to him. Nine years ago Shannen’s behavior had been quite purposeful. Filming her every day here on the island didn’t contradict his impression that she was a person who rarely made an unplanned move.
But there had been nothing calculated about that hot kiss they’d shared last night. It had been as impetuous as it was passionate. Ty tried to tamp down his nascent arousal.
“Maybe Lauren did it as a lark, but Shannen doesn’t strike me as the lark type.” Reggie chuckled. “If we’re talking birds, she’s more of a shrike. You know, the one that impales its prey on a stake. Oh, Ty, quick, pan over to Cortnee. She has her back to us and is touching her toes. Every red-blooded male in the audience is gonna love that. And she’s wearing that pink thong bikini that almost caused a meltdown on the Internet the first time she put it on.”
“You can have the pleasure of filming her, Reg. I know you’re one of Cortnee’s top fans. I’ll keep my camera on the twins and Konrad. Looks like they’re going fishing.”
Each carrying a primitive bamboo fishing pole, Shannen, Lauren and Konrad walked briskly into the ocean. Ty followed close behind, camera whirling.
“Do you think we should go out in the rowboat?” asked Lauren as the surf broke around their knees. “We might have better luck catching fish in deeper water.”
“Yeah, but then we’d have the fun of swimming with the sharks when that leaky old tub sinks,” growled Konrad. “Remember when those two idiots in the other tribe took the boat out and it went down like a stone with them in it? Had that big dramatic rescue ’cause they couldn’t swim. You know Slick Bobby and Clark Garrett woulda rather seen them drown. And now they claim the boat’s fixed, but I don’t buy it. They’re still hoping to get lucky with a fatal accident.”
“That’s entertainment for those two human piranhas,” Shannen pointed out.
“Never mind the boat, then, let’s try our luck right here,” suggested Lauren, casting her pole. “Oh, don’t look now, but we’re on camera again. I was sure the whole crew would stay on the beach filming Cortnee. Doesn’t she do her jumping jacks after touching her toes? None of the guys want to miss that.”
“Gets old when you see the same stuff day after day.” Konrad shrugged. “Me, I’d rather hang out with you two, even though I don’t know which the hell is which.”
“Konrad, how gallant!” Lauren smiled sweetly.
Shannen turned her head to see Ty standing less than a foot behind them. She swung her fishing line at him, clipping him with the clam bait.
“Oops.” She snickered. “So sorry.”
“You’re only sorry that your aim was off.” Ty turned off the camera. “You meant to smack me in the face with the clam guts. But you missed, Shannen,” he added, saying her name with alacrity.
“You’re sure I’m Shannen?” She looked ready to whip the pole at him again. “How do you know I’m not Lauren?”
“Could be, you know,” Lauren chimed in. “We’re dressed exactly alike. Denim cutoffs, red bandanna triangle tops. The only difference is that one of us has a braid and the other has a ponytail. Can you be sure who styled her hair which way?”
“You two play that twin stuff for all it’s worth,” said Konrad, with respect. “No wonder. Two people looking exactly the same…talk about messing with minds! If I had a twin in the lineup with me, nobody could ID me. Because it might be my twin, y’know? I could’ve beat the rap every time.”
“We’ll keep that in mind if we decide to go in for a life of crime, Konrad,” said Shannen.
“I don’t have a problem telling them apart.” Ty moved closer to Shannen. “This is Shannen. Unquestionably.”
When she took a step backward, he advanced, knowing she would force herself not to retreat again. She would view that as a tactical error.
He was right. She stayed put.
“Remember the rules? The crew isn’t supposed to interact with us in any way.” Shannen’s fingers clenched the pole tightly, and she stayed as still as she could, despite the unsteadying waves rising and breaking around her. “You’re supposed to be invisible. So shut up and film, Tynan.”
“Who’s to know I’m not? From on shore, it looks like I’m filming the three of you out here.”
“How do you know his name, Shan?” Lauren was puzzled. “We weren’t introduced to any of the crew. Clark and Bobby said to think of them as part of the camera equipment and forget they’re human.”
“Which isn’t hard to do, in his case,” Shannen sneered.
“You dodged the question, babe.” Konrad studied her curiously. “How come you know his name?”
“Maybe she made a good guess. Am I right, Shannen?” Ty’s bland tone contrasted sharply to his baiting smile.
“As a matter of fact, you are. I read a book about names, and Tynan means ‘condescending, self-righteous jerk,’ so I immediately guessed he must be a Tynan.” Shannen met and held his gaze. “An obvious fit.”
“If Cortnee was out here, she’d say, ‘What did the book say that Cortnee means?’” Konrad laughed.
It was a startling moment. Shannen recovered first.
“The first time Konrad
