Kim’s Earth: Hayley: Reality TV

[k_a_webb]

This entry is part 1 of 33 in the Kim's Earth collection

Caroline sat next to the pool, a glass of champagne in her hand. From what I could tell it was her fourth glass in the hour we’d been there. She didn’t appear to be all that interested in the reality TV aspect of the show, instead making the most of getting a free holiday with free champagne, but then I could have been wrong. It wasn’t as though she’d spoken to any of us since she dumped her suitcase in the room she’d been told was hers and even then it had only been a disinterested greeting. To be honest I wasn’t certain I actually wanted to talk to her.

This entry is part 1 of 33 in the Kim's Earth collection

I guess I should really start at the beginning. I’m not entirely sure where the beginning is, though. It could have been applying to go on a reality TV show because I wanted to do something different. Even now I have no idea why I did, it was just a whim, and it took such a long time for them to get back to me that I thought I never would hear from them. When I received the email asking me to go to an interview it was a surprise, because I didn’t think I was interesting enough to be chosen for the show. Since I left college I hadn’t really done all that much, apart from start working as an admin assistant for my dad’s company, as all my friends had gone off to different places all around the country for university and soon had new lives that didn’t include me.

Amusingly they all got in contact when I was confirmed as one of the contestants. I didn’t reply to any of them, because they hadn’t cared enough before to send even a text message, and I guessed that they were only interested in the surprise prize I would win at the end. Most people assumed it would be money, but I wasn’t so certain. Neither was one of my fellow contestants, the one I thought might actually become a friend, while the others all thought the only possibility was that it would be money, because what else could the prize be…

The real beginning is probably the moment I reached the island on which we were staying. Apparently, from the guidebook I found in my bedroom, we were on an uninhabited island on the coast of the UK somewhere. From the sunshine we’d had I was having trouble believing that, but there was a part of me that couldn’t help thinking that it was typical. You see part of the reason we had all applied for the show was that it meant a delay in having the injection. We were there to entertain people during the recuperation process and that meant we couldn’t be recuperating at the same time, although we would have to have it when we left. At least we would know then, for certain, exactly what would happen, because from some of the reports I read in the newspapers I couldn’t help thinking we might not have a chance to.

Of course the injection wasn’t something we were permitted to talk about. Not in front of the cameras, at least. Most of the rooms in the house had cameras in, to catch us at every moment of the day, but the three bathrooms, thankfully, were cameraless. There we’d be able to talk about whatever we wanted, although I didn’t think we’d all be able to get into one of them. I bit my lip as I looked out of the window at Caroline. She’d was nearly done with her fourth glass and that was when I thought I might have been unfair to her. I didn’t know who she’d left out there. Maybe she was drinking to forget what was going to be happening in our first week there, because her lover was going to be having the injection, or her sister, or a cousin she was particularly close to.

When I went outside to join her I surprised myself. I hadn’t touched any of the alcohol they’d left for us, to celebrate our arrival at the house, but I had a glass of orange juice in my hand that I added a little champagne to. As our eyes met I could see the pain in Caroline’s, so I didn’t say anything. I just sat with her, to keep her company, knowing how hard it was the leave people when there was a chance we might never see them again. That was when I realised she’d managed to hide her face from all of the cameras in the garden, which was skillful, so if she did start crying they wouldn’t be able to see anything. Feeling unsure of myself I reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

Caroline studied me, before nodding. We understood each other. I didn’t doubt that we’d end up talking in one of the bathrooms in the future, because I was the only one to have given her a chance, but then Noel followed me out, still holding the same beer he’d had since he first arrived. “Well, this is fun, isn’t it,” he said, the sarcasm in his voice obvious. “Maybe they have some games planned for us tomorrow, once we’ve broken the ice.”

“Don’t say that,” Caroline replied, groaning. “The last thing I want is to play games… unless it’s chess, but I can’t imagine chess will be one of the amusing games these sorts of people would think of.”

“You play chess?” I could hear the disbelief in my own voice. “Why?”

“It’s a good way to take your mind off things you don’t want to be thinking about, because it’s a game that needs all of your attention. I’ve been playing a lot since I was confirmed as a contestant on the program and the more I play the easier it becomes to stop myself thinking when I get the set out. I brought it with me if either of you are interested.”

For a moment I looked at Noel, whose eyes were full of understanding. “Actually that might be a good idea, but have you ever tried playing chess with more than two people?”

Shaking my head I tried to make it obvious to him that I had no interest at all in playing any form of chess. “I’ve only ever had me to play against, or the computer, so no, I haven’t, but it sounds like it could be fun.” She looked at me. “That is if you’d be interested.”

The hope in her eyes meant I couldn’t possibly say no. “I’d be interested.” I managed to smile at her. “As long as we can play some card games in between.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.