d cooking protein hit the

ed, discarded tin can near the highway, scrubbed it clean with sand,

a rock. The yolks hit the hot met

drifted directly into the wind

. The other contestants lo

hand through his hair, pasting on a wide, friendly grin. He wa

th fake charm. "You really saved our lives. Th

e bubbling egg whites, using a thin green twig to care

o the cooked edge of the egg. His stomach let out a loud rumble.

ac

h the air, bringing it down hard

echoed through

twisting in pain. He cradled his s

creamed, his friendly mask shattering. "Ar

ompletely devoid of emotion. She looked at him t

said. Two wo

the drone hovering above them. "We are a team! We'r

und herself. "He's right, Anabelle. We're all s

. She wiped her h

Market value of two organic eggs: one dollar. Labor cost for a ten-mile round trip on foot: twen

dead into K

dollars for one egg.

fell de

y roared, kicking a cloud of dirt i

her thumb rubbing her index knuckle. "I hold the monopoly

l, unapologetic capitalism coming from a girl in a frayed fl

humiliation burned in his chest. He spun aro

Nobody is going to help you when you fail!"

g the beggar routine wouldn't work. She lay b

hiding his eyes. He tilted his head, wat

e eggs slowly, methodically, makin

of plastic she had saved, burying them deep in her backpack. She pulled out the

walk away. His chest heaved with angry bre

owed into slits. "She stole it from the production crew's

s reflection in the water. She saw hi

. A cold, sharp smile touched her lips. Le