Laurel Walker Date 2: Part 4

Alan sat while Laurel played her guitar.

She sounded nothing like Ali’s other daughters, which surprised him. Alan could still remember the Darkest Dreams-inspired rock that had gone on at all hours of the day and night.

Laurel’s song was country. Sentimental.

“Breath on her neck from the midnight breeze

Thinks it’s a prince in a ragged cloak

Eyes burning gold in the tallest trees

She steps closer like she’s stepping into

Pages she’s been tracing since she was small—”

Laurel stopped. “I’m sorry.” She gestured at the television screen. “I don’t know what I want from you.”

“Okay.” Alan nodded. “I understand this is fucked.”

“It’s not just that this is fucked.” Laurel clenched one hand around the guitar pick. “I thought I was bonded to Nathan forever. It was fine.”

Her eyes found his.

“Now you’re the target. None of you are anything like the old crew. Things ended badly last time. And here I am trying to turn you into a Melmyrian prince. That isn’t fair to you.”

“Melmyrian prince?” Alan asked.

“I was trying to teach you how I think this place works. I want dangerous people on my side.” Laurel looked down. “I wasn’t treating you like a person. I was treating you like a tool.”

She swallowed.

“I’m trying to be better about that.”

“No one ever said you treated them like tools.” Alan thought back to the people from Laurel’s season. “Nathan and Kaitlyn like you. Ali misses you. Jasmine and Jess don’t talk about you much.”

He paused.

“Violet probably hates you, actually. I didn’t catch it until now.”

“Yeah.” Laurel nodded once. “I told you I thought it was a normal reality show, right?”

“You mentioned that.” Alan did remember.

“I was nineteen. I sent in a video for some Survivor knockoff. I got a callback from the studio. They said I was perfect.” Laurel’s voice caught. “They—”

“We don’t have to discuss it.” Alan could tell this hurt.

“We really do.” Laurel shook her head. “They called me in and asked about my relationships. Then they said it was a dating show. I talked about meeting Nathan, and they got excited. They said they had a job for me.” She shuddered. “I thought it sounded hilarious.”

“What did they tell you?” Alan asked carefully.

“They said it was a dating show where the winner walked away with a harem. It sounded nuts. It sounded like a clusterfuck.”

Laurel gave a small, bitter laugh.

“I’d look cute, ask invasive questions, and run a few stupid contests. Nobody told me the contestants weren’t allowed to leave.”

She stared hard at the wall instead of him.

“My interview with Ariadne was kind of like that,” Alan said. He felt himself tense.

“Alan, my interview…”

Laurel froze.

For several seconds, she did not move.

“…I agreed to host their show.”

“Oh.” Alan tried to process that.

“A guy I thought could swing a harem, his crazy ex, a girl who was crushing on him, and some weirdos from the fucked-up reform camp were my suggestions.”

Laurel’s voice went sharp.

“I thought they would show up, go a little nuts, most of them would storm off set, and everyone would get paid and sign permission for the final cut.”

Her hands tightened around the guitar.

“I found out the truth during the opening ceremony with everyone else.”

She looked at him at last.

“It’s not like I could leave either.”

Laurel stood so quickly that the chair scraped against the floor.

“I wrote Sora’s Elimination.”

Then she was moving.

She reached the door, fumbled the handle once, and ran into the hallway.

Alan sat still for a while, looking at the blank television screen and the abandoned guitar.

He had heard that the host tended to be sucked into the harem.

Finally, he stood and followed Laurel into the hallway.