Malique and Harry erupt into hysterical laughter, whilst James jumps out of his hammock - which is up beside the phone box - and helps me up from the floor. "Are you ok?" He dusts the dirt off my arm.

When I assure him I'm ok, he helps me back into the hammock and helps me get comfy. "Trust me," Malique adds, "the hammocks take a bit of getting used to."

Once everyone has retired to bed and exchanged their goodnight's, I shut my eyes and fall asleep in seconds.

*****

Emma P.O.V

Rice and beans don't taste too bad when you're eating it in Crock Creek, surrounded by your lovely campmates. I finish my breakfast slowly, savouring every bite as rice and beans seem to have become a delicacy.

"Oh shit!" James gasps from beside me. He jumps up from the log and darts halfway across the camp, keeping his eyes fixed on a bush. "Is that a snake?"

I look towards the bush behind where James was sat. Surely enough, curled up in the corner, is a massive python, digesting a sewer rat. "Awh, poor rat." I clench my teeth, standing up and moving a few steps away.

A ranger comes into camp and picks up the snake with one of those claw toys you'd win at a festival. He places it into a large bag and takes it far away from camp.

Thank god we don't have to sleep on the floor in Crock Creek.

Malique and I do the morning washing up duties and help to clean the dunny. Once it's all sorted, we treck back into camp to see Harry and Fleur having some sort of exercise session.

"Work it, honey!" I mock him sassily. "Move those hips!"

He puts his hands on his hips and moves them in a circle, pulling his Beyonce face. "I've been trying to teach him how to floss," Fleur tells me.

"Will you floss for me, Harry?" I ask him, wondering over to them. Out of my peripheral vision, I spot James led in his hammock, staring down at us with an amusing smile, obviously enjoying our little fun and games. "For a 72-year-old you have serious rhythm Mr.Redknapp!"

Harry begins to try and floss but ends up doing the funniest and most random hip roll I've ever seen. Malique, Fleur and I join in, all racing each other to see how fast we can floss.

"You've got some moves, Emma!" Sair compliments. "God, I wish I could dance like you."

I spend maybe 10 minutes helping Sair master the art of the floss, and by the time we're finished, it's time to gather around the fire to see who is facing the next Bushtucker Trial.

I take a seat between Anne and James, holding onto both of their hands. Once Holly and Dec arrive, my heart rate starts to kick up.

"Hello everyone!" Holly beams. "Welcome Fleur, Emma, Anne and James, to Crock Creek. How are you settling in?"

"Amazing!" I smile. "Freaking amazingly!"

"Well, we have some news!" Dec riles up. "The public has not been voting because all of you will face today's Bushtucker Trial. Please all get ready to leave camp immediately."

They trot off into the distance, back up to the I'm a Celebrity studio.

"This is awesome!" Fleur lights up.

The pressure is off massively now, as whatever we'll be facing, we'll be doing it as a team and with each other support.

I run up to where John is grabbing a few of his belongings. "What are you taking with you to the trial?" I ask him, as he's done a proper trial before which makes him the most likely to be an expert.

"Just a water bottle hun," He picks his up. We begin to all walk out of camp and make our way to the clearing - with Harry leading the way - but John drags me a few steps behind.

"So I've been meaning to ask you something." He says. "Are you and James together?"

That's the third person that has asked. "No, we aren't," I assure him. "Why?"

"Because you're both so cutzie together." He shines. We reach the overhanging bridge that acts as a ceiling beam over the large canopy of the jungle. "Come on, you know he likes you right? It's so obvious!"

I spot James, only a few meters up ahead. "Shush, he might hear you."

"Oh hunny, you're so adorable." He pats my head.

At the clearing ...

A pair of massive metal railings pulls themselves open to reveal a humungous Roman Colosseum. The amount of detailing across the stone walls, the props and the flags, it must have taken ages to build. I spot a platform above us. A red curtain is drawn behind a gold and purple velvet throne.

We all walk in slowly awaiting for some sort of hideous monster, but instead, Dec and Holly are stood with their cue cards in their hands, ushering us closer.

"Come on in and stand on the podium with your name on."

There are ten wooden platforms on the floor, and between Sair's and Anne's is a golden plaque with 'Emma Wellington' engraved on it. I step up onto the platform and pull the hood on my raincoat up as it's beginning to lash it down.

"Welcome everyone!" Dec cheers. "So as you may see, this isn't a regular challenge."

"You are now all gladiators! Now as gladiators, you will all work to impress the Emperor, who is a new campmate."

We all gasp. I've become so accustomed to everyone now, and everyone is getting along so well. Fingers crossed this new campmate isn't here for trouble.

"Please welcome, the Emperor!"

The red curtain behind the throne is pulled back, to reveal our new campmate. His grey moustache is bushy and uncontrolled, and his eyes narrow. He's short, slim and a massive TV personality that I recognise immediately. Dressed in a toga, crown and holding a golden totem pole, stands the Emperor in his full beauty.

"It's Noel Edmonds!" Emily fangirls from a few podiums down.

"Welcome Emperor!"

Noel takes a seat on his magnificently wet throne. "Thank you! I'm honoured to be here! Next time, can you get a throne that isn't so absorbent?"

Dec chuckles. "Well Noel, these are your Gladiators. What do you think of them?"

"Well ... they look a bit glum." He frowns. "But ok."

Cheers mate.

Dec and Holly exchange a worried look and turn back to us. "Now, as gladiators, you will compete in trials to try and impress the Emporer. If you succeed, you will join the Emperor in the Inner Circle. If you're a member of the Inner Circle, you are automatically exempt from all trials, and all duties around camp. The Inner Circle will also eat all of the meals won in the BushTucker Trials."

"The Emperor will now pick his Personal Advisor, who will assist the Emperor in making decisions, as well as being the first member of the Inner Circle."

"Noel, please pick your personal advisor!"

Noel scratches his chin, looking us all up and down. "I mean ... it has to be Harry!"

Harry steps off of his podium and is guided up a flight of stairs to the platform where Noel is sat. Noel lowers a crown onto his head, and gives him a firm handshake.

"Now, The Emperor and his Personal Advisor will pick four gladiators to face today's trial! The two gladiators who impress him the most will join the Inner Circle."

I stand on my podium in the pouring rain, hugging my coat to my chest. The water drips down my legs and makes me feel soggy.

"We've come to a decision!" Noel announces. "The gladiators we have chosen are ... Fleur! Sair! James! And Nick!"

All of the chosen gladiators step off of their podiums, sacrificed for the gruesome trial. The rest of us are taken to the side to watch our friends impress the Emperor.

"So Sair And Fleur, you were chosen first, so you will face the first trial. This ... is Biteous Intensious."

A ginormous gate lifts up, and multiple rangers come stamping in, carrying a large box. Inside the box are two metal threads, where a star is at the top of the thread, and a red line is painted at the bottom.

Also infesting the cage are millions and millions of green ants.

"On the clackson, you girls will unscrew the stars until they reach the red line. There are two stars up for grabs, and you can only unscrew the stars with your mouths."

Fleur and Sair slip their goggles on and step into the cage. On the clackson, both girls swipe their tongues against the star, spinning it down the thread.

"They're biting my tongue!" Sair shrieks, spitting them off but marching on. Fleur, however, is on a role, and with a minute gone, she's halfway there.

"They're in my shorts!" Fleur gasps, wiping her leg down but continuing with the spinning motion.

"Don't let them in your vagina!" I shout down to them, which causes John beside me to erupt in laughter. "What, it's true?"

"Two minutes have gone!"

Fleur finishes her challenge with a minute to spare, and spends the rest of the time in the cage brushing the ants off, but the pesky creatures keep biting at her tanned legs.

"5, 4, 3!"

With only seconds left, Sair lowers the token to the red line and wins the second star. They're both released from the cage, and brought over to Dec and Holly.

"How was it, girls?" Dec asks.

"Horrible! Those ants are in places that ants shouldn't be!"

Nick and James are up next, facing a trial called 'Criticus Maximus'. The rangers wheel another box into the Colosseum. It's a large Perspex box, one which they'll have to lay in.

"In this box, as you can see, the star is threaded on a knotted rope. On the clackson, you will untie the knots and thread the star off of the rope. If you both get a star, that's another two meals for the Inner Circle."

Nick and James lie in position, laying head by head in the box. My heart beats for both of them. I really do hope James is going to be ok, as I'd hate for anything to hurt that gorgeous face.

"However, you won't be alone in there."

Ten rangers line up with ten jugs full of what looks to be millions of creepy crawlies. "Going in with you are 2,000 cockroaches, 10,000 mealworms, 500 green ants, 1,000 crickets and 20 huntsman spiders."

All of the critters are dumped straight onto their faces, and I watch as James' face is mounted by a massive spider. "It's ok James, they can't hurt you. You're gonna do so well!"

When the clackson rings, Nick gets straight in the zone and begins to untie the knots. James, however, is a bit more hesitant, as untying the knot would mean to brush away a bundle of cockroaches.

At halftime, James has managed to catch up with Nick. They both seem oblivious to the bugs, with them just scattering around like they're just paper scraps.

"Two minutes up, one minute left!" Holly times.

Nick finishes the challenge, unthreading the star and placing it in his pouch. James doesn't follow far behind, and as soon as he's claimed his star, they're both freed from captivity.

"Well done boys!" I applaud when they stumble over, stinking of cockroaches and crickets. "Oh my god, Nick!"

On the back of Nick's head is a spider so big, it looks like a Halloween decoration. "Just don't move a muscle."

One of the rangers quickly runs over and grabs the spider from his head.

"Ok, Emperor. How did your gladiators do?" Dec asks once the trial has been cleared and we're all perched back on our podiums.

"They did very well." He nods approvingly.

"Well, it is now time for you and your Personal Advisor to decide which two of the gladiators will join your Inner Circle. These gladiators will be exempt to further trials, exempt from all duties around camp, and will eat the four meals won in today's trial."

Harry and Noel are in the middle of discussing, when James interrupts their private business. "Emperor?"

Noel turns to look at him disapprovingly. "Yes, peasant?"

"We would like it if you'd make the girls part of your Inner Circle."

Noel nods and turns back as if he completely disregarded the comment. But I have to say, for James to ask that, it's pretty freaking hot.

"We've made our decision!" Noel announces. "The two new members of the Inner Circle will be ... Fleur, and Sair!"

Fleur and Sair are guided up the stairs to Harry and Noel's platform, where they're both given crowns and the luxury of being exempt from the next few trials.

"Congratulations, Fleur And Sair! Not only will you eat tonight, but you have a pretty easy camp life from here on."

"We will all let you go back to camp. Emperor Noel, please lead the way!"

Noel climbs down the windy staircase, followed by his Inner Circle, and proceeds to exit the Colosseum. "Come on peasants. Follow me!"

Yeah, calm it down a bit mate.

As we're all trekking back to camp, James and I fall behind. I don't know whether it's accidental, or purposeful so we can spend a bit more time together. "So, what do you think of Emperor Noel then?"

"What do I think?" He repeats. "I think that camp life is going to be really different now, good or bad I don't know."

I contemplate telling him, but it spurts out my mouth. "James?"

"Yeah?"

"The trial you did, you did insanely well. And how you gave up your place in the Inner Circle... it was really sweet of you."

He stops dead in his tracks, letting the campmates reach even further ahead down through the spiralling pathway.

"...Um ... actually... I was kind of trying to impress you."

His cheeks have misted up pink, and there is a harsh crease where his smile has been painted on. I do it before anyone looks: I rise up on my toes and kiss his tender cheek.

James P.O.V

I wish I could kiss her back, properly, on those beautiful plump lips I've spent too long wanting.

But I'm scared, and it would be so weird.

*****

I'm trying my darnedest to catch up with the episodes now, so hopefully, it shouldn't be too long until I'm all up to speed!

Thank you to the lovely jaymie_bloodrose  for all of the lovely comments!!

Xoxo