Talented Teens - 3. Round Three

"Well, I won't miss her," said Tyson.

"Amen. Out of interest, do you see much of the girls in Oakfield?" Candice asked Elijah.

"Oh-- for Vanessa?" He shrugged. "I see her once in a blue moon. I'm a boarder at the boys' campus and she's a day student on the girls' campus, so like she said, we barely know each other.

"Might be for the best. She was very upset," Topher tapped his fingers gently on his name on the podium in front of him.

"You are a boarder? What does that mean?" Sona asked Elijah.

"Oh. I live in the school dormitory during the school term. My farm is four hours away by car," Elijah explained. "I go home during school holidays."

"Tragic. I can't imagine anything worse than having to live at school," Veikko's words could have been taken for mockery or sympathy. It was impossible to judge.

"Right? School's fine, but I'm always so happy to get home," Candice put in.

"Sounds like a great time to me," Tyson muttered almost too quietly while the camera wasn't rolling. Topher looked to Tyson with sympathy and understanding in his eyes, but the others didn't seem to know how to follow that remark up.

"So, if we're not allowed to bank, then I'm assuming we're just shooting for the top prize?" Candice suggested.

"In both rounds, we made big chains. I don't see why not," Sona replied.

"Mmm, it takes at least four or five in a row to get more than couch change," Veikko remarked.

"Okay," Topher nodded, exhaling deeply from his lungs. "Okay."

The Hostess stepped back to her platform and spoke with a raised voice. "Welcome back to a special Talented Teens edition of the Weakest Link! This is Round Three. We have six players left, and seven thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars in the bank, a far cry from the twenty-five thousand that could have been. Well, I will take another ten seconds off the clock, but this round, I will increase the top prize to twenty thousand dollars. As you voted off the strongest link in the previous round, we will start with the second strongest link: Elijah! Let's play the weakest link! Start the clock!"

Elijah exhaled and looked up at the woman opposite him. Where Elijah, Sona, Tyson and Veikko appeared to have settled into the high-pressure game, Candice and Topher did not look like they were doing well, likely because they had had poor rounds previously.

"Elijah, in common sayings, making a fresh start is referred to as turning over a new what?"

"Leaf," Elijah nodded confidently.

"Correct. Topher, who sand the 2020 hit song 'Positions' that debuted in the number one position of the Billboard Hot 100?"

"Beyonce?" Topher took a wild guess.

"Ugh, tragic," Veikko scoffed from the side, and Topher's eyes flickered between the other boy and the terrifying woman.

"No, Arianna Grande. Veikko, in anatomy, what 'S' is the general name for the body's framework of bones?"

"Skeleton."

"Correct. Candice, how many international one-hour time zones are there worldwide?"

"Four."

Elijah's eyes widened, staring incredulously at the red-haired girl to his far right.

"Four?" Sona repeated, dumbstruck, as Candice meekly bared her braced teeth in apology.

"No, twenty-four. Tyson, Kobe Bryant was nicknamed for what breed of snake?"

Tyson craned back, and his lips moved briefly as he racked his brain. "Black Mamba," he answered gently, as though the Hostess might be more merciful if he minded his tone.

"Correct!" She elicited a rare smile from Tyson and moved to the next person. "Sona, in spelling, how many times does the consonant 'L' appear in the word parallel?"

Sona also took a few seconds to answer. "Three?"

"Correct. Elijah, which four-letter word means both an account that must be paid and a bird's beak?"

"Mmm... bill."

"Correct. Topher," she turned past Vanessa's empty podium to Topher, and every other contestant's eyes fell on the athletic boy as he did not press his bank button. He looked scared. "In photography, what 'P' is a wide and unobstructed view of a landscape?"

"Panorama," Topher replied instantly.

"Correct!" She teased him, and he beamed back at her. "Veikko, in maths, what is three times three times three?"

"Twenty-seven."

"Correct. Candice, in television, the muppets frog Kermit says it's not easy being what colour?

"Green!" Candice grinned.

"Correct! Tyson, June, May and what other month have only one syllable?"

Tyson furrowed his brow and leaned back again. "March," he decided quickly.

"Correct. Sona, in chemistry, which letter of the alphabet is the chemical symbol for carbon?"

"C!" Sona glanced at Elijah.

"Correct, Elijah--"

"Bank!!" Elijah smashed his button.

A high-energy, victorious jingle filled the air, and the lights flickered triumphantly. Veikko performed a cheeky dance on his side of the half-circle, Topher cheered loudly with his fists raised, and the group of Candice, Tyson, Sona and Elijah congratulated each other with excited high fives.

"You have reached and banked your twenty thousand dollar target!" The Hostess announced after allowing the contestants to enjoy their success. "Apparently, the third time is the charm! That prize will be added to your existing balance, but one of you won't be around to enjoy it. Who's not doing their part in the group project? Who can't sit with us? It's time for you to vote off the weakest link."

The high schoolers found themselves surrounded by red, and they looked down at the screens on their podiums to decide which of the five people they would vote off. As usual, Tyson pushed his button in a few seconds, whereas Sona appeared to have trouble making up her mind.

"The voting is complete! I'm curious to see where the votes land. As I'm sure you're aware, although you managed to hit your target, this wasn't an A+ round. So, Topher," she turned to the tallest contestant. "Who did you vote for?"

"Only two of us made mistakes, and I was one of them, so I didn't have a choice but to vote for Candice," Topher explained, looking over at the other girl. "I'm sorry, but I can't vote for myself."

"No, I get it," Candice reassured him. "But I absolutely voted for you too."

"That's completely fair," Topher nodded with a nervous laugh.

"What music do you listen to, Topher?" The Hostess probed.

"I don't listen to much modern pop music. I like classic Abba, Madonna, a bit of Beatles."

"That's what I listened to when I was your age! So that's why you don't know much about Arianna Grande?"

"Yeah," Topher smiled shyly, brushing sandy-blond hair from his eyes and smoothing it back over the top of his head. "Sorry."

"Candice, you voted for Topher, did you?" The Hostess rounded back to the other girl. "Do you think his mistake is less forgivable than yours?"

"Oh my god, don't," Candice laughed at herself, hiding her face behind her hands. "That was such a stupid answer."

"Don't beat yourself up. It's my job to beat you up. Otherwise, they're not getting what they're paying me for," the Hostess grinned. "Okay, it's time to reveal the votes!"

Candice pressed her button first. "Topher."

Tyson followed suit. "Topher."

Sona looked to her right. "Candice."

Elijah looked directly at the camera. "Candice."

Topher, who had apparently accepted his fate, now looked like he had renewed resolve. "Candice."

Veikko chuckled. "Ahh, Topher. Actually."

The contestants made a collective ooh of intrigue, and the Hostess pointed out the obvious.

"We have another tie, team. This time, between Candice and Topher. Sona," she turned to the third player. "You answered the eighth consecutive question. You didn't feel like you needed to bank?"

"Not at all," she replied coolly, an almost professional smile on her glossed lips.

"So, I hear you're looking to be a doctor. How did you make that decision in only your second year of high school at East Lindon Grammar?"

"My father is a neurosurgeon, and my mother is Chief of Medicine. I've always wanted to be a doctor as well." Sona smiled broadly, her pearly white teeth prominent in the dim lighting of the studio.

"I see. What subjects do you take if you're going to be a doctor?"

"As many as I can," Sona nodded. "But I love advanced maths."

Veikko's bemused look drew the attention of the camera. "Who loves advanced maths?" The contestants laughed.

"Do you learn much about arthropods?" The Hostess asked her.

"No! I don't know anyone who knows about arthropods!" Sona laughed merrily.

"Luckily, you shouldn't encounter them too often in medicine. So when it comes down to choosing between Topher and Candice, why did you pick Candice?"

"Unfortunately for Candice, she is making mistakes in a bad spot in the chain," Sona explained, pointing first to Veikko. "Veikko is a very strong player, and so is Tyson, me, and Elijah. But Candice is in the way, and she breaks the chains and costs us money. That's why I voted for her instead of Topher."

"I see. Veikko," the Hostess turned all the way around to the loner on the corner.

"Oh, you haven't forgotten about me?" Veikko purred facetiously.

"After your near miss in round one, I thought you might enjoy some space. What's Topher done to upset you?"

"Ahh, duh? He said Beyonce!" Veikko turned and cocked his eyebrow at the boy on his left. "Arianna is an ICON! That's why I voted for him."

Topher shrugged his left shoulder as though he couldn't argue that Veikko had a legitimate reason to come after him.

"Tyson," the Hostess moved again. "This is the second time you've voted for Topher."

"He's making too many mistakes. He's got to go. It's not personal; it's business," Tyson explained bluntly.

"Spoken like a true politician!" The Hostess elicited a chuckle from Tyson. "Do you think your father would have voted for Topher?"

"Of course he would. We stand the best chance of maximising our prize if Topher's not here."

Topher had been getting criticised a lot since the first round, and it looked as though it was finally starting to take its toll. The life seemed to have gone from his blue eyes, and he seemed less perfect and somehow droopy.

"Elijah, why did you vote for Candice?"

"I think Topher's been getting harder questions than Candice has," Elijah explained, shooting a shy glance at Topher, whose eyes shone at the change of pace. "So I voted for her instead."

"Objection," Candice shouted good-naturedly from her spot.

"Well, when the votes are tied, the strongest link will cast the deciding vote. Elijah, that's you. Will you stick with Topher, or will you send Candice packing?"

Elijah pondered for a good five seconds. "I'll stick with Candice."

"Poor choice," Tyson sucked his teeth.

"I don't think so. It's a great choice," said Sona.

"No, I think Tyson's right. That's a terrible choice," Candice had the good nature to laugh it off.

"Elijah has spoken!" The Hostess took control of the show once more. "Candice! A four-hour day would be short indeed. Still not quite as short as your stint on this show. With three votes, you are the weakest link. Goodbye."

"Sorry!" Elijah called out.

"You don't need to apologise to me! You need to apologise to yourselves. Bye bye now," Candice got in a last barb before walking through the illuminated tunnel.

I had a lot of fun being on the show. Between myself and Topher, I don't agree that I should have been the one to go home because I'm an objectively stronger player. I can't say I'm surprised, though - Elijah obviously has the hots for Topher, so he'll never vote him out. Tyson will definitely win; he has his eye on prize. I don't understand Sona's game plan, but voting off all the girls doesn't make sense. Now it's just her and four boys. It's so obvious what's about to happen, so it's weird she doesn't see it. Unfortunately, that's the bed she's made for herself, so I don't feel bad for her at all. Haha.

Five contestants remain.