He chuckled and his arm left my side. “All right, then.”
I hobbled over to the stools and found the one marked ‘Kandis’ on the front row and thumped into my seat. There were a few other contestants already seated, perched silently on their stools. The one I’d met—the cute guy—winked at me from his place in the back row. There were three rows and I counted seats—twelve in all. Four in my row, four behind me, and four in the back. No one else was sitting in the front row but me.
As other contestants moved through the doors and headed to their chairs, I rubbed at my now-throbbing ankles. Stupid shoes. That was what I got for trying to be sexy on national TV. Now I just looked like a fool. I began to unbuckle the shoes, propping up one foot and keeping busy to cover my embarrassment while the others entered the house. Some people blushed when they got nervous. I got fidgety.
I undid the jillions of buckles on both shoes and pulled them off and then held them in my hands politely, waiting for the okay to go find a garbage can. I crossed my legs and swung one of my feet anxiously, glancing behind me. Both of the rows in the back were full, but I was the only one on the front row. The three seats next to me were still empty. Curious, I glanced at the names on the seats.
There were only initials: LB on the far end, KS in the middle, and BS next to me.
So there were three more contestants. Where were they?
The lights in the house flickered to get our attention, and for the first time, I paid attention to my surroundings. The house was…interesting. It was very bright inside despite the menacing exterior—no doubt because we were filming in here. Light fixtures had been set in the ceilings. The floor underneath our stools was hardwood, and the walls were a dark, patterned purple. Picture frames lined the walls in several dark colors, but each frame was filled with a two-way mirror or dark glass that I knew shielded a camera on the other side. Each window had been shuttered with old-fashioned coverings since we were supposed to be isolated. There was a large fireplace with a big mantel across the room, a grandfather clock, and lots of old Victorian couches with little wooden legs. At the far end of the big living room, if I craned my neck, I could see a long, wooden dining table surrounded by old fashioned chairs. Very gothic.
Our stools were facing a very large TV that covered one wall. As of right now, the TV was blank. That would be where the host addressed us, then. I glanced over at the empty stools once more, curious, and shared a shrug with my friend in the back. He didn’t know what was up, either. Well, at least it wasn’t just me.
The large TV in front of us flashed the House Guests logo, and then cut to a screen. A smiling blonde woman with a huge bouffant of hair beamed at us from the other side.
“Hello, contestants! My name is Becky Bradley, and I’ll be your House Mother for this season of House Guests! Welcome to the show!”
We all clapped politely. Someone behind me whistled.
Becky smiled, clearly unfazed by our enthusiasm. She continued on. “In just a few minutes, we’re going to lock the doors, and this summer’s session of House Guests will begin. Your first week in the house will be a free one. After that, however, you will compete in the Power Play. Whoever wins Power receives their own private room and will nominate two other players for eviction at the end of the week. One by one, you’ll be voted out until only two of you remain. Those last two contestants will go head to head at the end of the summer and compete for the million-dollar prize. Are you excited?”
We all cheered, myself included. It was hard not to get excited at the thought of a million dollars by the end of the summer.
“Before we go, though, I have to warn you. Every season of House Guests is full of twists.” Becky’s smile was coy. “This season is no different.”
I wasn’t surprised. Anyone that watched House Guests knew that the show liked to change things up on people. They had to in order to keep things interesting.
“In fact, we’re starting out with three twists…” Becky paused dramatically. “And the first one is about to come through the doors. Good luck to you, House Guests!”
The TV fuzzed out, replaced only by the House Guests logo. I glanced at the three empty stools next to me. It was obvious what the first twist was going to be: more contestants.
Sure enough, the double doors burst open a moment later. Three people entered, each one holding a yellow envelope labeled with a 1, 2, or 3.
My jaw dropped.
They’d said twist, all right. I just hadn’t expected the twist to be famous people. Or rather, these famous people.
The first one through the door was a hot, sexy rocker guy with dark hair falling over one eye. His arms and neck were covered in tattoos, and he had piercings all over the place. I recognized him instantly — Liam Brogan from Finding Threnody, my favorite band. I knew they’d just broken up last month, too. Oh my god. I fanned myself with excitement. Liam Brogan was here? He was hot. He’d also been on The World Races, which had just finished airing a few weeks ago, and had hooked up with a cute little Southern blonde named Katy.
Unfortunately for me, the cute little Southern blonde was currently clinging to his hand and following him into the house. I guessed they were still together. That was all right, really. Liam was hot, but with the blonde, he kind of melted my heart a bit.
Katy gave us all a nervous smile, stepped a little closer to Liam, and waved with her bright yellow #2 envelope. Then she stepped aside, and the third person moved forward.
Everyone groaned.
Brodie Short was the third person. I recognized him from The World Races, too. He was handsome, of course. Tall and blond and tanned. Good looking. He’d also sold his sister out on the very first episode and spent the rest of the show either playing tonsil hockey with Tesla Spooner (the lead singer for Finding Threnody) or screwing over other contestants to claw his way to the top of the heap.
In short, they’d given us celebrity lovebirds with Katy and Liam and the villain in Brodie. Everyone loved Katy and Liam. Everyone hated Brodie.
I didn’t want Brodie here, either. I was the one planning on lying and scheming my way to the top this summer. I didn’t want competition. So I couldn’t help the frown on my face as the three of them sat in the stools in the front row next to me. Blond, handsome Brodie sat next to me and flashed me a pearly white grin.
I glared at him, stone-faced.
Liam, now seated, turned to the others. He’d let go of Katy’s hand and held up his envelope. “We’re supposed to read these to you guys in order. I’ve got number one.” He gave everyone a faint smile as they cheered and clapped, and then he tore the seal on his envelope and began to read. “To make this summer more fun, we’ve brought in a few contestants you might recognize from another reality TV show. Brodie, Liam, and Katy will all be playing alongside you for the million dollars.”