A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 327

"Alright. You can start picking your teams now," Richard said with a warm smile.

"Ladies first," Herne said, gesturing toward Demi like a total gentleman.

"Alright. I'll go ahead then," Demi replied with a smile. Her eyes moved between Maria and Wendy, unsure of who to pick first.

"Pick Ms. Corr," Maria mouthed to her.

"Pick Connor," Wendy mouthed at the same time.

"I pick Ms. Corr," Demi announced.

"Wow!" George and a few others clapped and cheered, clearly a little envious.

Wendy looked genuinely happy.

"It's my turn now, right?" Herne asked, practically bouncing in anticipation.

"Hold up," Richard cut in, his smile turning just a little mysterious. "Earlier, I mentioned there'd be a reward for guessing the names of the new guests correctly. Aren't any of you curious about what that is?"

"What kind of reward?" the cast asked in unison.

"The reward is... one free pass to decline if a team captain picks you," Richard said, chuckling.

Everyone fell silent.

Wait, what? None of them had taken that part seriously earlier.

"Ms. Corr guessed one of the names correctly. So, Ms. Corr, would you like to decline Demi's invitation?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course not! I'm thrilled to be on her team," Wendy replied quickly. Then she added, "Can I give my pass to someone else since I won't use it?"

Richard shook his head. "Nope."

Wendy was instantly a little down.

"Alright, Herne, your turn," Richard nodded.

"I pick..." Herne glanced around, then pointed at George. "George."

George immediately made a face. "Man, are you trying to ruin me? I suffered enough last time being on your team."

"George, you've also guessed the name right. Do you want to use your pass and say no?" Richard asked, laughing.

"If I were Demi, I'd pick Felix too. He's so easy on the eyes. Just looking at him makes you feel calm."

"Thank you," Felix said with a small smile, clearly relieved.

He'd had a strong feeling Demi would pick him, but still—there'd been a bit of doubt. Now, he could finally relax.

By the end, Demi's team included Maria, Wendy, Felix, Connor, George, Chad, and Nigel.

Herne's team got Harold, Thomas, Ana, Caitlin, Vivian, Ollie, and Cody.

...

With the teams settled, everyone boarded the flight to their destination.

As they boarded the plane, Demi walked over to Felix and asked quietly, "So, what made you sign up for this show?"

"I watched an episode and thought it seemed kinda fun. And since I wanted to follow you while you gather herbs, being a guest just made more sense," Felix replied.

Demi nodded. That checked out.

If he came as part of the staff, he wouldn't be allowed on camera, which would make it hard for him to watch what she was doing up close or even ask questions. But as an official guest, things were much easier for him.