She looks back at the camera. “Follow me.”
We traipse around the bus and are instructed to look surprised and excited. Which would be a lot easier if we knew what we were so excited about. We must do a good job because it doesn’t take long for the director to call cut.
Jessica turns and smiles at us. “I know it’s weird, but we couldn’t get you coming around the bus to see the location in real time because of Production City.”
“Production City?” I ask.
She waves her arm toward the tents. “Welcome to Production City. Here we have our entire team ready to deal with any emergency that could arise. The big tent is craft services. It’s packed with snacks, drinks, and especially coffee for as long as we’re here. That’s where you’ll get your lunch once you’ve finished your exploration.”
“Which brings us back to: Where are we?” Malik asks.
“And I will tell you as soon as you’re on your mark and we start filming.”
Taking the hint, we all hustle to the color-coded marks on the ground. The crew must have been here hours ago to get everything set up.
The cameraman counts us down before throwing the finger toward Jessica.
“Welcome to your first Landmark Challenge. Today, we’re at the largest metropolitan zoo in the country. The Bronx Zoo.”
Excitement ripples down the line as we clap and cheer.
Jessica waits for us to settle down before she continues talking. “You could spend all day walking through its two hundred and sixty-five acres. But you have just two hours to see as much as you can.” She pauses, looking at us. “This field trip isn’t about sightseeing,” Jessica continues. “It’s about finding inspiration for your next challenge.”
Everyone begins talking at once.
“What kind of challenge do you think we’ll have to do?” Adam asks.
“It has to do with animals, right?” Lola asks.
“Maybe we have to make a meal for one of the animals?” Inaaya suggests.
“No,” Hakulani says. “Those animals are on a really strict diet. They wouldn’t let us monkey around with it.”
Paulie grins. “‘Monkey around’? Nice pun.”
Hakulani dips his head. “Thank you.”
“Would you two be serious?” Inaaya says, rolling her eyes.
Jessica waits for us to settle down before continuing. “I can’t tell you about your competition yet, but I will tell you that you need to report to Dancing Crane Plaza in two hours. If you’re late, you will not be allowed to compete in this round, and trust me, you want a chance to win the advantage.” She pauses as we nod. “So, are you ready to know what your challenge is?”
“Yeah!” we cry in unison.
She throws her head back and laughs. “And you will.”
We wait for her to say something.
“In two hours, at Dancing Crane Plaza. Go explore the zoo,” she says, but no one moves.
Jessica looks surprised. “Your time has already started. You might want to go.”
She doesn’t have to tell us twice. We sprint through the entrance and race down the pathways that lead to the different exhibits. I have no idea where I’m going or what I’m looking for, but I really need to find some inspiration and find it fast.
CHAPTER
TWELVE
THE CAMERA CREW ASSIGNED TO FOLLOW ME does a pretty good job of keeping up. Not that I’m a fast runner. I generally lean into the idea that one should only run if your life is in danger and all other options have been exhausted. I glance to my left and see Adam, who looks more like he is participating in a 5K than a cooking challenge.
I wander the path, stopping to watch the sea lions as they bask in the morning sun. They lift their heads, giving a little bark as if to let me know that I am intruding on their quiet time. Then they lie back down and proceed to ignore me. So far, I’m not feeling very inspired.
Not too much farther down the path I see the Madagascar exhibit. The grand column and intricate carvings of lions are a stark contrast to the aluminum sculpture entry sign with its seafoam tree branches, bright red lettering, and pale-yellow silhouettes of lemurs and snakes.
“Lions and lemurs, oh my,” I say aloud and make myself smile.
With the sun inching across the sky, the air is getting hotter. I can feel sweat dripping down the back of my neck, and I slip the scrunchie out of my pocket and wind my hair into a messy bun. With my hair firmly in place, I pull open the door to Madagascar and am transported to a different world.
The enclosure for the Coquerel’s sifaka exhibit doesn’t look or feel like any building I’ve been in before. The ceiling is painted to look like a bright blue sky with white puffy clouds. It doesn’t look painted. It looks real. And the depth of the space is so deep the creatures hopping from branch to branch disappear into the distance. I stand close to the glass, resisting the urge to press my face against it just to get a little closer, as I watch three babies wrestle, trip over each other, pause to look around, and then repeat. Their antics make me laugh out loud.
A door on the darkened wall opens, a stream of light pouring in, and it momentarily destroys the illusion that I’m on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean.
“Oh,” says the woman in a khaki jumpsuit and a name tag that reads DR. BRENDA. Her eyes widen before glancing at her watch. “What are you doing here?” she asks quickly. “The zoo doesn’t open for another two hours today.”
“I’m part of the show that’s filming here today.”
She doesn’t look impressed. “Right,” she says. “That teen cooking show.”
“Uh, yeah. Top Teen Chef,” I stammer. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice her arm shake. Looking closer, I see the pet carrier in her hand and a little paw reaching out through one of the air holes. “What’s that?” I ask, bending down to look inside. Instinctively, she turns, the crate angled so I can’t see.
“An infant lemur,” she says abruptly. “Look, you might be here to have fun, but I have a job to do, so if you don’t mind—”
“Can I help?”
“What?”
“With the lemur. Can I help you?”
“I’m just taking it back to its enclosure,” she says, dismissing me. “Besides, I have no interest in being a prop in your show.” She glances at the camera crew that followed me in.
If she only knew just how much I understand what she means. “I can help. And I signed a waiver so the show can’t hold you liable for anything that happens to me.”
She shakes her head.
“Please,” I beg. “I’ve never seen a lemur up close.” And by up close, I mean ever.
She spins toward me, fire blazing in her eyes. I’m impressed at how steady she holds the carrier. “Look, I’m short-staffed because every employee around here is out playing tour guide for you and your friends. But I’m not going to entertain an entitled reality star just so you can brag about how you got to pet a lemur. Now if you don’t mind, I have animals to feed.”
I like this woman. She’s brutal, but at least you know where you stand with her. “I can help you,” I say, stepping forward and hoping she doesn’t kick me out of the exhibit. “You said you’re short-staffed because of the show, so let me help. Please.”
She glares over my shoulder, pointing to the camera guy with her chin. “There’s no room for your crew,” she says. I bet she thinks that’s a deal-breaker.
“Even better,” I say quickly. “Now you’re helping me get rid of them.” The camera crew doesn’t look pleased, which makes me even more determined to help Dr. Brenda.
After several long seconds, she says, “Come on, then.” I follow her through an unmarked door and watch as she swipes her badge over the card reader.
It flashes green and then the doors begin to open by themselves. I follow her down a long, narrow hallway to another door. Again, she flashes her badge and the door unlocks. “You need to wash your hands,” she says, flipping on the lights.
I hurry over to the sink,
glancing briefly inside the dark cage. I can’t really see anything, but I can hear what sounds like a barking dog that’s swallowed a squeaky toy. “Doesn’t like being in a cage, does it?” I ask, turning on the water and pumping soap into the palm of my hand.
“Would you?” Dr. Brenda asks, shaking her hands before drying them with a clean towel. I do the same.
“Guess not.”
As I dry my hands, Dr. Brenda puts the cage on a table and begins pulling things out of the refrigerator. The screeches get louder.
“Shh. It’s okay, Zara. You’re okay,” Dr. Brenda says over her shoulder, her voice very different from the hostility I’d just encountered.
She reaches into the refrigerator and pulls out a silver bowl. “Here,” she says, handing it to me. In the bowl are slices of bananas, strawberries, and mangos, and chunks of passion fruit. “Hold this.”
“Sure,” I say as she picks up the carrier. “What are we doing?”
Walking toward a door at the far end of the room, she looks back at me. “Time to reintroduce Zara to her family.”
Dr. Brenda leads the way into the lemur exhibit, and I can’t help but think how amazing this is. I’ve never in my life dreamed that I would be walking into a zoo exhibit for lemurs, of all things.
The leaves begin to shake as creatures move, still hidden from view. As Dr. Brenda puts the carrier down, I can see curious faces looking at us from behind tree trunks.
“Wow,” I say. “They’re adorable.”
Dr. Brenda unlocks the latch of the carrier and places her hand in the opening. A split second later, a small lemur scurries up her arm and balances on her shoulder, its head rotating around, taking everything in.
I notice a bald spot on Zara’s haunches. I peer a little closer to see a slight scar. “What happened to her?”
Dr. Brenda holds a grape in her hand and holds her arm out straight. Zara makes her way to the grape, reaching out for it before rushing back to perch on her shoulder.
She coaxes the lemur down again, holding out another grape. “Here,” she says, pulling Zara from her arm and holding her out for me to take.
I hold my hands up and step back. “What?”
“You said you would help. Give her a strawberry.”
I pick out a large strawberry and put the bucket down. From beneath the leaves I hear sounds of excitement. Dr. Brenda leans down and snatches the bucket up.
To my surprise, she’s smiling. “You almost got attacked by some very adorable but hungry lemurs.”
“Sorry,” I say, holding the strawberry out for Zara. “Will she bite?”
“Probably not.”
That’s not reassuring at all. But I hold the strawberry out a little farther.
Without warning, Zara leaps from Dr. Brenda’s arms and catapults herself toward me. “Oh,” I say in surprise. I have no choice but to catch her. Zara’s eyes never leave the strawberry as she grabs it and begins munching on it. “What if I drop her?” I ask.
“You won’t. She’s used to scampering up trees. She knows how to hang on.” She points to a bucket next to the door. Dr. Brenda pulls a small bowl out of her pocket and fills it with fruit. Holding it out for me, she says, “Don’t let her eat it all at once.”
“How did she get the injury on her leg?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Probably got it during a fight for dominance. Her mother is the leader of the troop, but little Zara has to earn her place just like any other newbie.”
Zara pauses her eating as Dr. Brenda kneels down. From the cover of leaves and brush, several lemurs make their way to Dr. Brenda. Each is rewarded with a piece of fruit when they get close enough and each scampers away, a little closer to us than before.
“Are the females always in charge of the group?” I ask as Zara picks up a piece of banana to gnaw on.
“Troop,” Dr. Brenda corrects me. “And yes. In the wild, eventually, the male lemurs would be pushed out to go join another troop.” Zara grabs the bowl with one hand and rummages around until she pulls out a chunk of pineapple. When the bowl is empty, she jumps down and joins the crowd that’s surrounding Dr. Brenda.
“They really like fruit,” I say as Dr. Brenda stands, taking the bucket with her. The lemurs voice their opposition.
“Wow,” I say, resisting the urge to cover my ears as the sound echoes off the enclosure. “They’re loud, too.”
Dr. Brenda smiles and tosses the remaining fruit toward the tree line. “You can hear the call of some lemurs from over a mile away.”
As the lemurs scamper away, Dr. Brenda turns and heads toward the door. I give one last look at Zara and her adorable friends before following. A moment later, we’re back in the small room, and I help Dr. Brenda tidy up.
I glance up at the clock on the wall and gasp. “Oh no,” I say, turning to hand Dr. Brenda the bucket. “I lost track of time and I have no idea how to get back to the entrance.”
“Head out the front doors and take a left,” Dr. Brenda says, swiping her key card so I can get out. “You won’t need a card for the next door,” she assures me.
“Thank you so much for letting me help. Lemurs are pretty cool.”
She smiles. “They really are. And hey…”
“Yeah?”
“Good luck on your show. I hope you do well,” Dr. Brenda says. “If this cooking thing doesn’t work out, you might want to think about working with animals. You might be a natural. Zara doesn’t like too many people.”
“Thank you,” I say, starting toward the door. “And thank you for letting me help. It was a lot of fun.” What I don’t tell her is that if I can’t afford culinary school, no way is a four-year degree in my future. I burst out the doors and into the hot summer sun. I race past the groundskeepers and college students opening the souvenir kiosks. By the time I reach the fountain, I’m out of breath and have less than ten seconds to spare.
“That was close,” Paulie whispers as I fall in line.
I bend over and try to catch my breath. “Who knew cardio would be so important for this show?” I gasp.
“Heads up,” Hakulani says, walking behind me to his spot. “Camera guy is coming this way.”
I snap up, brush the wisps of hairs from my face, and plaster on a smile.
Jessica takes her place in front of us and smiles. “All right, guys. It’s time for your first Landmark Challenge. I hope your exploration of the Bronx Zoo inspired you, because you have some very hungry judges.”
My smile falters as I realize I spent all my time in one place. Talking with Dr. Brenda and feeding Zara was fun, and informative, but what if that’s not enough to complete the challenge? What if I have to complete a map of the park using food or something off-the-wall like that? I’m in big trouble, that’s what.
“Don’t forget, Peyton,” Jessica says sweetly. “You have a five-minute penalty.”
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
THE DIRECTOR YELLS “CUT!” AND THEN THE CREW moves into action to set up for the competition. A couple PAs come up and usher us to the craft services tent, where we are treated to a wide array of choices.
“What did you see?” Hakulani asks, coming up behind me.
I jump slightly before looking up at him. “Lemurs. You?”
“I was going so fast I don’t even remember,” he says with a laugh.
The line moves quickly, and before I know it, I’m sitting at a long table with the rest of the cast. Jessica waves at us before heading our way.
“I hope you guys had a good time at the zoo,” she says. “So, while you’re eating, I’m going to tell you what your challenge is, and then you’ll have about thirty minutes to decide on your dish for today.”
“We get a heads-up?” Paulie says.
Jessica nods. “I mean the audience won’t know, but do you really think we’re going to expect you to come up with something with no prep time?”
“After yesterday,” I say, “that’s exactly what I thought. Will it be like this for e
very challenge?”
Jessica shakes her head. “For the Landmark Challenges, yes; but for the elimination challenges, no.”
“At least we get something,” Malik says, dropping a stuffed olive into his mouth.
“What’s our challenge?” Dani asks.
Jessica leans forward as she explains the details of the challenge. “You will have two hours to make a treat that could be sold at any zoo snack bar. The snack should be inspired by your time here at the zoo.”
Jessica nods at something behind us, and a pair of PAs drops notebooks and pens down in front of us. “Start planning. You can check out the pantry to see what we have for you when you’re done eating.”
Everyone practically starts inhaling their food. Except Dani. She doesn’t take another bite. Instead she picks up her tray, goes to the closest trash can, and dumps it.
Everyone watches her before looking back at each other.
“Anything to win,” Malik says, and he follows after her.
A minute later, only Paulie and I are left.
“Aren’t you going to go?” I ask.
“In a minute,” he says, spooning another bite of pudding out of a cup. “Why aren’t you out there elbowing to see the goods?”
“What’s the point?” I ask. “It doesn’t matter what I want to make. With my five-minute delay, I’m going to be lucky if I can find enough stuff to make something edible.”
“That penalty is turning out to be a lot worse than I thought it would be,” he says. “You want me to snag something for you and then sneak it over to you when the eyes aren’t looking?”
I laugh. “What? Are you going to bake it in a cake and slide it across the floor when you pretend to drop your pencil?”
He shakes his head. “It’s that thinking that got you the penalty. You gotta be smooth.” He glides his hand across the air in front of him.
“Okay, that was mean,” I say, but I’m not mad. It’s hard to be mad at Paulie.
He glances at his now empty tray and then back at the tent where the crowd of contestants has thinned out a little. “I better go.”
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