Free Deprivation House by Franklin W. Dixon

But film from the chamber will not be used when the judges and I make our decision each week about who must leave the house.”
    â€œNothing we say in there can be used against us?” James leaned his chair back on two legs and crossed his arms.
    â€œNot a word. Now get back to your breakfasts. Itwill be the last hot meal you have for quite a while. Unless anyone would like to take the option to leave today . . .”
    No one did.
    Veronica left us to ourselves.
    â€œI can’t believe you did this to me,” Kit told Bobby. “I can’t live without coffee. Coffee is my life.”
    â€œDrink soda. Soda has caffeine,” Joe suggested.
    â€œCaffeine is not coffee,” Kit snarled.
    Joe held up both hands. “Okay.”
    â€œNo iPod is a lot worse than no hot food,” Brynn commented. “Last night I actually put my pinkies in my ears and hummed. We’ve been here two days and I’m losing it!”
    â€œYou just don’t understand,” snapped Kit.
    She was still complaining when we’d all finished breakfast.
    â€œHey, Frank,” Olivia said when I stood up from the table. “I wanted to get some aspirin from the supply closet, but the shelf it’s on is a little too high for me. Will you get it?”
    â€œSure.” I followed her to the walk-in closet.
    â€œNo camera in here, either,” Olivia said. “I wanted to know if you’d made a decision about the alliance.”
    â€œI did. And I’m in,” I told her. I thought Oliviawas a strong suspect. The best way to keep a close watch on her was to join her inner circle. If another alliance formed that we needed to investigate, I figured Joe could infiltrate it.
    â€œGreat,” Olivia told me. “I want you to help me pick the other members. I think we need two. I’m still thinking about Wilson. You talk to as many people as you can and let me know who you think is one of us.”
    I nodded. Talking to as many people as I could was what I needed to do anyway.
    Olivia started for the door. “Oh, you’d better get me the aspirin. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious.”
    I handed her a bottle. “Hey, Olivia,” I said, trying to sound as if the thought had just occurred to me. “What’s the deal with Ripley? You said she was only on the show for PR.”
    â€œYou’re not going to believe this,” Olivia answered. “See, Ripley’s parents are really upset about all the bad publicity she’s gotten. And you know it’s really bad when the drummer for Tubskull thinks it’s bad. So they told her that if she didn’t change her act and get some good press, they were going to cut her off.”
    â€œNo money?” It was hard to imagine Ripley with no money.
    â€œNothing until she gets her inheritance—when she’s thirty,” said Olivia, sounding really happy. “So she definitely doesn’t need to win the million. She already has what she needs to get all the money she wants. She’s on a TV show. All she has to do is act basically nice. That will get her the good publicity, and she’s golden.”
    Olivia reached for the door handle. “We can’t stay in here together too long. The first rule of forming an alliance is that no one can suspect you of forming an alliance.” She hurried out.
    I waited a couple of minutes, then left myself. I needed to find Joe. We needed some bathroom time. Or I guess it could be supply closet time now.
    It took me a while to track my brother down, but I finally found him sitting by the fountain. With—of course—Brynn. Did I even have a partner on this mission? It didn’t exactly feel like it.
    â€œJoe, can I talk to you for a minute?” I called.
    â€œDid you find my sunglasses?” asked Joe. Then he said something softly to Brynn and headed over to me.
    I took him into one of the downstairs bathrooms and filled him in on