Pairing Off

Natalie followed the servant down the long flight of marble steps to the oasis below. Laura walked beside her, eyes wide at the sparkling lake set out before them.

The servant was an older, somewhat plain, woman in an expensive looking black uniform with a white collar. She led them along a path made from planks of light gray wood which wound through the sand a dozen feet from the lake's shore. Natalie was only half paying attention as the servant woman described the various amenities offered at the 'resort'.

Her mind was on Trevor. Natalie would need to be there for him, but carefully. Nothing new there. If she couldn't protect him then this show would tear him apart. She'd already seen it beginning. He'd spent the whole opening ceremony glaring at Violet in contemplative silence. Trevor had a habit of getting lost in his own head when he was stressed, and as smart and capable as he was he simply wasn't equipped to handle this.

She wasn't sure if anyone was.

It didn't take a psychologist to see the way their childhood had shaped his self-perception. Trevor had always seen it as his job to protect her from the world. It had been her job to protect Trevor from himself. She suspected this was going to be her most important task yet then. If she let him Trevor would thrash himself into pieces trying to balance everything he was feeling.

Natalie worried at the hem of her tank top. She wasn't sure when she was going to see him. He'd tried to talk to her several times already but that bitch Violet had stopped him every time. Why was she trying to keep them at arms length from each other? That didn't bode well.

Natalie's reverie was disturbed when they arrived at the building which was to be their home. Like most of the buildings below the palace it looked to be built from adobe. The structure was like a pile of children's blocks. It was built from several rectangular sub-structures piled haphazardly on top of one another, intersecting at clean right angles but never quite aligning. The ends of large wooden logs, of the same light-gray color as the pathway, jutted out in a line near the flat roof.

The servant handed each of the girls a key then pulled out one of her own to unlock the door and let them in. The suite inside was a simple if lush affair. The floor was hardwood and covered with several hand-braided rugs in warm colors. A central room hosted two couches and a number of plush looking chairs along with a dining table. She spotted two large bathrooms and a small kitchenette in adjoining rooms. At the end of the suite a door led out onto a patio at the banks of the oasis, shaded by an awning and several palm trees. A narrow flight of stairs led up to the second, rooftop patio she'd seen on their approach.

The servant led them into the bedroom. Singular. Two beds, each comfortably large and fitted with silk sheets, occupied the large room. The wings of the room featured two walk in closets which at a glance had been well stocked. Bronze nameplates signified which was hers and which was Laura's.

The servant finished giving them a quick rundown on the suite then left. Natalie sat down on the edge of her bed, while Laura sat down on the other.

"So, hi," the other girl finally said, breaking the tension. "I'm Laura. You're Natalie, right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Natalie shook Laura's extended hand.

The silence set back in and Laura looked around the room, fidgeting in place. "So uh, we're in a harem together. That's weird."

Natalie stared at the strange girl, then laughed. Laura joined her. "Yeah, you can say that again. Feels a little surreal. I keep expecting to wake up in a hospital bed or something."

"Right? I keep thinking, like, maybe I've gone insane. A couple of hours ago I was in a locker room and now I'm in the middle of a strange desert with a bunch of strangers and a woman whose like a witch or something. I don't know. Feels like I'm losing my mind."

Natalie nodded. "It's going to take a little to get used to, that's for sure."

Laura stood up suddenly, then walked over to her closet and took a peak in. The girl disappeared inside then reemerged a few moments later with an armload of clothing. She threw it on to the bed then began picking through, setting different articles of clothing into different piles according to some arcane system that was beyond Natalie.

"So uh...you're Trevor's brother," Laura asked as she worked.

"Yeah. How do you know him?"

"We got to the same college. I'm in undergrad though. He's a grad student. But you knew that. Anyways, I'm the captain of the softball team and Trevor's pickup league uses our field for games. So we talk sometimes. About schedules and stuff. I mean sometimes we make small talk, but not every time. He seems nice."

"He is. Trevor's a good guy."

Laura grew a little stiff and began to work the sleeve of one of her shirts between her fingers. "So he wouldn't...you know...he's not, um...going to..."

"Oh, no. God no. Trevor? Never."

Laura let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know. I was a little worried. Not that I thought he would! Like I said he seems nice. But you never know."

"It's fine," Natalie said. "I think we're all probably a little on edge. Violet wasn't exactly subtle with her implications. I mean she called us a harem."

Laura laughed. "Yeah, good luck with that. I mean look at us. We're not exactly cut out for it are we?"

"No, can't say we are," Natalie said, laughing along. "I might be the only person less interested in him then you are." Natalie frowned. "Riley maybe."

"Yeah, whats up with that? Is Trevor gay?"

"Not that I know of," Natalie said. "And he'd tell me if he was."

"I don't think they understand how that all works."

"Maybe not." That was a thought. They'd certainly made some odd choices for a harem. Maybe they literally didn't understand. Cultural differences maybe?

"The only one who makes any real sense is that one girl," Laura said. "Whats her name. The one with the...collar."

"Oh," Natalie said, her voice dark. "Anna."

"Yeah, Anna. We don't like Anna?"

"She's a bitch," Natalie said, matter-of-factly. She winced a little inside at the choice of words but didn't correct herself. It was true.

"Can I ask, you know, what happened there?"

Natalie sighed. "She broke Trevor's heart. Cheated on him. More than once. And even before that, she'd start fights over nothing. She'd just push him and push him and then he'd snap. She'd cry, and then he'd feel bad and apologize. Just a nightmare of a relationship. It took a long time for him to get out."

"Why'd he stay with her if she was that bad?"

"Anna can be nice," Natalie shrugged. "She's not always at her worst. Besides, I'm sure there were...other reasons." She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Laura laughed. "Yeah, I might put up with a fight or two for the chance to make up with her." Then she blushed, and suddenly seemed to focus a whole lot more on what she was doing with her clothes.

"What are you doing over there?" Natalie asked at last.

"Organizing." Laura, evidently, did not feel the need to elaborate.

"Weren't they already hung up?"

"Yeah, but I like my clothes ordered a certain way."

Oh, of course. Natalie left her to it and fell into thought. This wasn't going to be easy for either them. She'd read the rules carefully, and it looked like staying ahead was going to involve 'pleasing' Trevor. She was at a distinct disadvantage on that front. She'd need a plan.

Laura's head had been in the same place it seemed. "I'm going to lose, aren't I?" She sounded defeated.

"You'll be fine. If I know Trevor, he's up there right now figuring out how to protect the contestants like you and me who have the game rigged against us."

"But I mean...I can't..."

"Neither can I. It'll be ok."

"Easy for you to say. You've got this whole..." Laura dropped her voice an octave, "'I'm Natalie and I'm not taking your bullshit' thing going on. The audience will love you. Plus, you're like, super cute."

Laura's eyes widened a little. Natalie got the impression that sometimes her words got away from her.

"I didn't mean...I wasn't trying to like, hit on you or anything."

Natalie just smiled. "Thanks."

She stood up and walked over to her new roommate and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure something out. We're in this together."

Laura smiled. "Right."

***

Kaya looked around the suite that would be her home for the foreseeable future. She loved it. It was so cute. She'd always wanted to see the red rock desert in Arizona and this place looked like it had just been picked up and dropped off straight from there. A lot like she had been.

Her roommate Anna joined her in the living room.

"So what do you think?" Kaya asked.

"It could use a second bedroom. No offense."

"Eh, we'll manage. The bedrooms huge."

"Well that's true. They've set us up pretty well. Seems like the least they could do," Anna said. "So, tell me about yourself. What do you do?"

Kaya shared a little about herself while she poked and prodded the suite. She was an army brat, moved around the world, studying anthropology, all the basics. Anna reclined on the couch and listened as she spoke.

Not that her roommate wasn't good company, but Kaya felt a little closed in. There was a whole desert out there to see. She was pretty sure that wasn't the 'Lust for Adventure' talking. She wouldn't have been able to stay inside anyways.

"Hey," Kaya said, "you want to take a walk around? See what's outside?"

Anna shrugged. "Sure. Maybe we'll see some of the other girls. I'd like to get to know them. Give me a second." Anna disappeared into the bedroom then came back a few minutes later wearing tennis shoes. "Thanks for waiting. I was on a date when they took me and I'm tired of walking around in heels."

The two left the suite, Anna locking it behind them, and set off on the path. "A date huh? How'd it go?"

"Not great," Anna said. "He was so cute, but he turned out to be kind of an asshole."

"That sucks."

"It's fine, I wasn't that interested in him anyways. It's so hard to find a good guy, you know?"

"Tell me about it."

"I just want a guy that respects me. It seems like every guy I meet is just looking out for themselves. I want a partnership. Someone who's invested in me."

"Well, he's out there somewhere."

Kaya could maybe have been a conversational partner, but she was a little distracted. The lake was beautiful. The water was still as glass and a deep blue. It perfectly reflected the dunes that surrounded it, and what a sight they were. The sun was beginning to set behind them and the dunes practically exploded in red and orange bands.

"What about Trevor?" Kaya asked.

Anna sighed. "I really thought that one would work out," she said. "But I think that was the problem. I really liked him, and I didn't see the issues for what they were."

"And those issues were?"

"Trevor's a good guy. Or at least he tries to be. But when we were dating he was so clingy. It was like he didn't want to let me out of his sight. Towards the end he started to get controlling too. He wouldn't even let me go out with my friends.

"And he'd start fights over nothing. He'd blow things way out of proportion. When I did something he didn't like he wouldn't even tell me. He'd just give me the silent treatment. I'd always ask why he was mad at me but he'd never tell me why. He'd stuff up but he'd never tell me the real reason."

Anna began to tear up. Kaya stopped walking and gave the girl her full attention, draping an arm across her shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I thought so. Maybe I'm not as over it as I thought I was. I really did love him. It's hard to talk about though. He isn't exactly what people think about when they think about '****'."

Kaya gave the poor girl a hug. She couldn't imagine getting out of a relationship like that and then being dragged back in. "It's ok. If he tries anything you just come to me."

Anna nodded into her shoulder. "Thanks."

This was bad news. Kaya had seen Trevor around but she didn't know him. She'd been hoping that he was a good guy, but from the sound of it things were much worse than she'd thought. It made sense, Kaya supposed. You wouldn't bring on a decent person for a show like this.

After a minute Anna composed herself and pulled away. The two started walking again. "I don't want to give you the wrong idea," Anna said. "He isn't a bad guy. Or at least, he doesn't try to be. It probably all stems from insecurity. He just can't help himself. That's why it was so hard to break up with him."

"So it was you that left him? Good for you,"

"Yeah. I've never been the dump-ee." She said that with a little bit of pride, but her next statement was more sullen. "Although that time it took a lot of strength to pull the trigger."

"We'll get through this," Kaya said simply. And she meant it. Somehow, she was going to get through this. She had to.

If she became a member of Trevor's harem like the show wanted her to she'd be locked down. She'd never travel, never see the world. Maybe more than any other girl, her life hinged on winning this show.

On the other hand, with that wish she could have anything she wanted. She would never have to worry about how she'd support herself. She could do and see whatever she liked.

Kaya settled into her resolve. So Trevor wasn't the guy she'd been hoping he was. So what. If he was as insecure as Anna said then maybe she could play that to her advantage. Because one thing was for sure. Kaya was going to win.