20

The crowd applauded again, but I barely heard them. I was staring at Von Thornton, my bowl of ice cream forgotten.

“I’m here for this special program to announce that there has been a bit of a wrench thrown into the production of season thirty-one. A wrench that, on first inspection, could have proven disastrous, but upon closer study, may be the greatest and most exciting wrinkle that’s ever happened.”

Von stood, smoothed his immaculate suit, and walked to the edge of the stage. “Our female star has, unfortunately, had to withdraw from the show.”

A murmur of disquiet ran through the crowd. Zoe gasped and put a hand to her mouth. I’d never heard of a female contestant stepping down. I wasn’t as huge a fan as Zoe was, but the show was an omnipresent part of life, an institution almost everyone followed—even if unwillingly.

Von held up his hand to silence the crowd, then flashed another bright smile. “Easy, everyone. This isn’t my first rodeo, as the humans say. An exciting opportunity