It was September 12, the fifth day of class at Canaan Seminary. Nancy Blake couldn't believe what she was seeing. The letter she had just opened said that her financial aid had been cancelled. That couldn't be right. Nancy was a third year student. She had a perfect grade point and would be ordained after two more years of study.
Canaan was a Pentocostal Seminary. Nancy had heard the calling when she was fifteen and from that day forward she knew she was destined to preach the word of God. The Bible had been her constant companion since then. Nancy read it every day and knew that every word in it was true.
Now, her dreams were being taken away. Nancy called the Financial Aid office. She told them about the letter she had received and that there had to be some mistake. The woman in the office was very sympathetic. She told Nancy that she certainly was one of their most valued students. The problem was that funding was down. It wasn't personal, all Financial Aid for that year had been cancelled. Hopefully, if funding picked up, her aid could be reinstated the following year.
Trying not to cry, Nancy asked the woman what she was supposed to do. After all, Nancy lived in the dorms, if her aid was cancelled where was she supposed to go? The lady in the office told Nancy that she felt terrible about what was happening, but the school had no choice. Nancy's monthly bill for tuition, and room and board was $2452.00. Since she had received the letter after September 1, the school would not demand payment for September. However, she would have to pay for the rest of the year. Payment wasn't due until the 15th of each month, so Nancy would have some time, but if she couldn't make a payment by October 15, Nancy would have to leave the school and vacate her room. Perhaps she could return the following year if financial aid became available again.
Nancy hung up the phone and let the tears come. If she was forced out of school she had nowhere to go. Nancy's mother had run off when she was only a baby. Her father had remarried and ran a successful tavern in a little town just outside Chicago. Nancy and her dad had been close until God had called her. After that, she had realized that her father's business was evil. It promoted the sin of drinking.
Nancy and her father had fought constantly after that. Finally, when she left for seminary, her father had disowned her. He had told her that if she was going to be ashamed of him, then she simply shouldn't come back. Nancy had agreed and the two hadn't spoken since.
After a couple of hours, Nancy stopped crying. This had to be a test from God. Surely, he would not prevent her from serving him. This was just a challenge for her to prove her real worth and devotion. Nancy would search for a way to pay the needed money. If she did her part, God would see that she succeeded.
The place to look was the internet. Nancy knew all sorts of businesses could be found there. She didn't own a computer, but the library had several. Nancy took a walk over there and logged onto one of their machines.
When she was on the net, Nancy did a search on emergency funds. There were hundreds of possibilities. The first fifteen were useless. Seven were banks. These would loan her money, but they all said they could take up to 60 days to close. Nancy didn't have that much time. The other eight were employment opportunities: Phone sales and other "work at home" jobs. Unfortunately, even if she had a way to do those jobs, they didn't pay the kind of money Nancy needed.
It was number 16 that got her attention. It was from a website from the ISLANDX GAME. It offered women a chance to win up to $150,000 in less than 2 weeks. The website explained that women could apply to be contestants on the ISLANDX GAME. All contestants would be provided with transportation to the game at no expense. All living expenses would be paid upon arrival. Most importantly, all female contestants were guaranteed a minimum of $50,000.
Nancy was afraid this was too good to be true, but she made a note of the website. Later, she asked some of her friends if they had heard of the IslandX Game. None of the girls had, but one of the male students, Fred Ames, was familiar with it. He told her it was an awful thing, where women who lost had to perform sexually on the internet. Personally, he had never seen it, but his brother watched it all the time. Nancy asked him how the game got women to do this. Fred told her that all contestants received a minimun of $50,000. Also, if they won, the women didn't have to do anything. Several ladies were apparently willing to risk this for a chance to win that kind of money.
Well, that eliminated that option. Nancy wasn't a virgin, she had sinned with her previous boyfriend. He had been a 4th year student during her first year. Nancy knew she was in love with him and that they would marry. Last year he had graduated and moved away. They had written for a couple of months. Then, last December, he had written her that he was engaged to be married. He was sorry, but was sure that she would meet someone else. It had taken Nancy months to get over it, and she still felt guilty about what they had done.
Anyway, she had to find another option, so Nancy went back to the library. She spent the next two days looking for other ways to find the money she needed, but found nothing that would work. When it was getting late the second night, Nancy went back to the game site. Nothing else was working, and she had to admit that she was at least curious about it.
The home page certainly did say that all female contestants were guaranteed $50,000. That much money would allow her to finish school. Female contestants could win as much as $150,000. The site also said that male contestants could win up to $100,000, but were not guaranteed any money. Nancy wondered why. There was a button on the page for detail, so Nancy pressed it.
The next page said that the game was played on a Carribean island. All contestants would be flown there free of charge and all expenses on the island were paid. People wishing to be contestants should fill out the application form and attach a photo. Contestants would be chosen on the basis of their appearance and personal histories. There was another button which indicated that it would provide detailed rules of the game. A second button was labeled APPLY.
Nancy didn't know why, but she pressed the rules button. A new screen came up which explained how the game was played. Nancy almost couldn't believe what she was reading.
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ISLANDX GAME Official Rules.
1. All female contestants will begin the game in a two-piece bathing suit.
2. All male contestants will begin the game nude.
3. The game will consist of 20 competitions between the male and female contestants. The competitions are listed below. Those games marked with a start(*) provide a handicap to the male contestant in order to even up the contest.
1. Short Race*
2. Golf Drive*
3. Basketball Shoot
4. Bowling
5. Swimming*
6. Archery
7. Chess
8. Long Jump*
9. Football Throw
10. Batting*
11. Soccer Kick