Page 56 of Hunter

I roll on top of her gently, only too happy to oblige.

***

Isabella

At the Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna, the remaining teams are tasked with searching a mountain of kegs for one of five that’s still full. Once found, we have to deliver it to the Talkeetna Lodge via stick shift transmission antique truck.

Beto and I manage to find the second full keg, after Team Brady, but unlike Greg Brady, neither Beto nor I know how to drive a stick shift.

We race into a nearby restaurant and find an older man willing to give us a crash course on how to operate the truck. But we stall out about twenty times on the five-mile journey, and by the time we get to the hotel to make our delivery, we’re in fourth place, after Team Brady, Team Hot Docs, and Team Newlyweds. Only the Soul Sisters are still behind us.

Our detour in Talkeetna gives us one of two choices: fish or fly.

For fish, teams are taken by van to a chartered boat at the nearby Susitna River, where Chinook (King salmon) arerunning. They will need to catch a fish and take it to the pit stop back at the Talkeetna Lodge. The boats are covered and heated, and the challenge is pretty easy once you’re out on the water, but wildlife can be unpredictable. If the salmon are feeling lazy, or if you can’t get the hang of spin fishing, you could be out of luck.

For fly, teams head to the nearby Talkeetna Airport where they board a K2 flightseeing tour to check out Denali from the air and take a publication-worthy picture of the peak with a professional grade camera. But clear weather is never guaranteed at 20,000 feet, and if you can’t bring back a good shot of the mountain, you won’t have completed the challenge.

Both challenges will take approximately two hours, but with wildlife and weather variables, both could end up taking a lot longer.

“What do you want to do?” I ask Beto.

“Not gonna lie, cuz,” he says, “I’d love to see Denali from the air. But I know how to spin fish, and I’m comfortable on a boat.”

“Fishing it is,” I tell him, feeling a tiny bit disappointed.

The truth is, you do see a lot of Alaska when you participate in a show like this one, but the trade-off is that you don’t have enough time to see or do everything. A kickass activity like having a free-of-charge, bird’s eye view of the tallest peak in North America will have to wait for another day.

We race to the waiting vans marked “Fish” where we’re driven to the Susitna River. On the way, Meghan, a member of the production team who’s sitting shotgun, turns around to interview us.

“Hey guys, we’re going to do a quick interview, okay?”

“Sure,” says Beto. “Whatever you need.”

We scoot closer together on the second bench seat of the van while our cameraman, who’s sitting on the first bench seat, turns on the camera. He points it at Meghan first.

“Team Primos,” she says, “tell me which challenge you chose and why!”

The cameraman shifts his focus to us.

“Fishing,” says Beto, “because I’m really comfortable out on the water. We’ve got this.”

“Izzy,” asks Meghan, “are you as confident as your cousin?”

I smile for the camera. “Absolutely. Watch out, Chinook! We’re coming for you!”

“I’m loving the confidence!” says our interviewer with a chuckle. Her face gets serious. “You know, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you’re team number four right now.”

“As long as we’re not last,” I say, “there’s still a chance we can come back!”

Meghan grins at me, narrowing her eyes as she changes her voice to a conspiratorial purr. “So, tell me, Izzy…becauseTheAstonishing Racenation loves a little competition romance…have you met anyonespecialwhile competing on the race?”

With my smile still glued to my face, I stare at her for a second, taken aback. I haven’t been asked anything this personal during our mini-interviews yet. The questions are almost always about the race, Alaska, our teammate, or the other teams. Although we’re supposed to be ready for anything, her inquiry feels…intrusive.

“What—what do you mean?”

“It’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Have you met anyone special during filming?” she pushes, leaning toward me like we’re long-lost besties.

Has Beto said something to the production crew about me and Hunter? We swore him to secrecy. I shoot a quick glance at my cousin, but his face is blank.

---