"This is getting to be serious," Dawn said. "Why don't we... no... damn! If only there were some way to do this fairly. I feel really bad for Stacey."
"I don't," said Mallory. "She deserved it."
"No one deserves to get pushed over the edge, Mal," Kristy said sharply. "And there is a way to do this fairly. We put the matter to vote."
"Okay, fine," Claud said. It was obvious she was trying hard not to cry.
"I have paper," Mary Anne said dully, taking a piece of folded notebook paper out of her pocket. Mallory took the paper from her and started passing it out to the remaining baby-sitters. No one said very much, and Dawn clutched Mary Anne's hand tightly. Kristy paced back and forth over the tiny patch of balloon that served the same function as the director's chair did in Claud's room; she knew she wasn't in control of this situation, but...
"Okay," she said. "Anyone have a pen?"
"I do. Charcoal pencil, actually."
"It will do. Mal, hand Claud's pencil around." She did, collecting everyone's slip of paper after it was written on, and handed the pile of paper to Kristy, who stuck them in the pocket of her jeans. Then a gust of wind blew them a few feet lower and a lot of feet to the west, and Mallory, who hadn't looked any too stable before, suddenly stumbled about wildly.
"Help!" she said, but no one moved to her rescue; she tripped over her shoelace and fell against the wall of the balloon, and then over the wall. They'd seen the last of Mal's chestnut hair and glasses.
Kristy took a deep breath. "Well," she said, "That didn't actually help much. We're still going down. So I might as well go ahead and draw."
Poll BSC Balloon Poll Round 6 [Note: if you vote for Mary Anne, fair and square, then she will go over the edge. But that is so what Kristy'll say if she pulls Mary Anne's name. And I haven't included the Lindsey-option today because some people decided they were also named Lindsey. :p]
Note 2: Please read "pocket" where it says "the bag." I changed my mind in the middle of writing...
Note 3: I totally know Mary Anne's last name! *headdesk* Either gay marriage moved south in CT, or else I shouldn't post polls before I've had two cups of coffee. *headdesks*
Things are getting REALLY exciting now! Vote! Vote!