Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Courtney
“Alright, lovers! My name is Alex, and I will be this season’s host. You all are here for two common reasons. You’re all hot,” he says with an aggressive wink that catches me off guard. “And you’re all ready to find love.”
Yeah, I’ll pass on that last part.
Several guys whoop and holler, while a few girls clap, but I can’t help feeling still completely put off by this whole thing. Alex goes to speak again, but I interject quickly.
“I’m sorry, but did you guys seriously have us all drugged?”
He gives me an apologetic smile. “So sorry, company policy. The less you know, the more protected all aspects of the show remain.”
“You could keep the details protected while refraining from slipping drugs into our drinks or—”
“Oh my God, chill. It’s seriously not that deep,” a nasally voice sneers.
The owner flips her platinum-blonde hair over her fake-tanned shoulder as she lifts her nose into the air, whispering to a gorgeous brunette to her left. “A hundred bucks says she doesn’t make it past the first week.”
The brunette snickers. “I’ll take that bet. She’s not lasting the day.”
The girls titter like there isn’t a whole fucking horde of people that can hear every goddamn word. I don’t even have the energy to acknowledge their mean-girl bullshit.
Alex signals for someone to turn down the music before he addresses us all.
“Alright. We’re going to go over a few ground rules for filming before taking you all back for your individual bios.
We also need you to sign fresh NDAs that are a little more in-depth than your original contract,” he says as men appear almost out of thin air, flanking us from all sides, then handing a stylus to each person and having them sign on the iPad.
When it makes it to me, I lean forward and squint to read better. The intense sun is doing me absolutely no favors, though, and the man is clearly irritated.
“Please sign,” he says stiffly.
“Sorry, I’m just having a hard time reading. What’s different to the last NDA?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes like he’s irritated, and Alex steps forward.
“Problem?”
In an instant, all eyes are on me, and I want to shrink into myself.
“No, I just… I was always taught to read before you sign. The sun is making it difficult.”
Alex watches me carefully for a moment before a charming smile practically oozes off him. “No trouble. We can get a paper copy sent to your room later today. How does that sound?”
I look around to see everyone else has already signed, and they’re all looking at me with small traces of irritation because I’m holding things up.
Way to make friends day one, Courtney.
Despite my better judgment, I scribble my signature across the line before the man all but snatches it away and hurries off the patio.
Alex claps his hands. “Perfect. Now, a few guidelines to go over. First, no leaving the island. This one is obvious but, of course, crucial. The show has yet to be announced, so any mention or even hint of production to the outside world could force the producers to pull the plug early. Obviously, we don’t want that. ”
“We’re stuck on this island? For how long?” a girl whispers to a guy in front of me.
“So glad you asked.” Alex smiles. “Your time here will vary. Make the most of it while you can. We recognize keeping you isolated on an island in the middle of nowhere is daunting, but don’t worry. This place has everything you can dream of and more.”
Several heads nod as Alex continues rattling through a list of rules and guidelines we should follow.
Ridiculous things like everyone must be groomed at all times because you never know when the next scene will be shot.
Apparently, cameras will literally be on us 24/7.
I feel like I didn’t read anything about that when I signed the initial contract.
Don’t reality TV shows give their contestants…
I don’t know, a break from time to time? A day off? Or is that delusional?
“Finally, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed, your cell phones are not on you. We took the liberty of collecting them upon your arrival, and they will be returned to you on your departure.”
“Wait, so we won’t get them back this whole time?” the blonde girl from before whines.
He gives her a patient smile. “Unfortunately, Savannah, no. We do have phones for each of you, though. All of the contestants’ phone numbers are programmed into them, and you’ll have full access to the camera to capture your time here on the island.”
“But we can’t make outside calls or texts?” I clarify.
Alex nods. “Exactly.”
Another unsettling detail I wasn’t made aware of. I can’t go that long without talking to Lily. I’m going to have to talk to someone about this.
“If there are no other questions, let’s get you all mic’d up, and we’ll start grabbing you all one by one for your intros.
In the meantime, hang out, relax, get to know one another.
For the time being, guys will be in the east-wing common room, girls will be in the west wing.
Julia will show you all the way. Once the mixer begins and for the rest of your time here, just pretend like the cameras aren’t there. ”
Several cameramen emerge from different access points onto the patio. My head turns from side to side as Luna shoots me the same suspicious gaze.
“Where the fuck did they come from?” she whispers to me.
I shake my head as a few women emerge from the sliding doors of the mansion, heading towards us all. One by one, they slip necklaces onto each of us. They’re simple, white and nothing special.
“This is your microphone. You’re to wear it at all times. They’re waterproof, so no worries about the shower or the pool,” one woman says as she slips one onto Luna before coming to me.
“You want to listen to us shower?” I ask.
She cuts me a sharp look, and I suddenly realize I may be coming across a touch too bitchy. I’m not meaning to be, but that’s a bit far, right?
“Not particularly, but it’s a reality TV show. You never know when dialogue or drama will hit. We can’t pause in the middle of everything to get you all mic’d up.”
Begrudgingly, I nod to the woman as she steps away from me and moves on to the next person.
I look down at the necklace and inspect it. You wouldn’t know it was a microphone just by looking at it. It just looks like nylon with a little heart in the middle.
A woman, I’m assuming named Julia, flags everyone down and gestures for us to follow her.
“Until you all are paired up, you’ll be sleeping in common rooms. Each room is equipped with four bunk beds and a large shared bathroom. Girls, you also have a beauty bar to get yourselves camera-ready each day.”
As we step through the twelve-foot-tall glass door into the house, my jaw is practically on the floor.
Somehow, the inside of the house mirrors the elegance and extravagance of the outside.
Everything is crisp, white and marble. Come to think of it, the inside feels more like a Roman paradise than it does a tropical beach house. Beach mansion? Whatever.
Pops of color break up all the stark white with wall décor, neon lights and decorative pillows. There’s even a massive hot-pink U-shaped sofa in the sunken-in living room.
As we make our way deeper into the house, we pass a huge gourmet chef kitchen with three fridges and two walk-in pantries. I know there are sixteen of us living here, but my God, this all seems a little excessive.
I seem to be the only one who thinks so, though. While I’m looking at everything with wide, overwhelmed eyes, everyone else has salacious and satisfied smiles, like this place is every bit what they’d hoped for.
I feel an arm hook through mine as Luna pulls me to her.
“Bunkmates?”
I nod, relief washing over me as she smirks.
“Thank God. If I got stuck sharing a bunk with Malibu Barbie over there, I think I’d blow my brains out.”
I laugh as she gestures to the blonde that was speaking, or more like snarking, earlier.
Savannah.
We get to a section of the house that splits off in a T shape, and the boys head one way while the girls head another.
A head pops out of a room and gestures to me. “Courtney? You’re up first.”
A few curious gazes swing to me as Luna squeezes my arm.
“I’ll fight these bitches for the best bed for us.”
I smile. “Sounds good. Don’t let me down.”
She salutes with a serious nod. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Laughing, I walk towards the man who’s now gesturing for me to follow him before stepping into what looks like a green-screen room.
“Take a seat,” he says as several cameramen are setting up their cameras before he clears his throat. “Alright, let’s get started.”