Real life simulations, strangers on a wall

“Kim better be okay,” Rose said, scowling. “You know what’s going to happen if you do anything bad to her, right? Nick’s going to-”

“Nick?!” Echo cut her off with a laugh. “Like I give a damn what Nick thinks! That’s what you don’t seem to get, Rose!”

She stalked towards the bed, a wild look in her eye.

“Nick is resistant to his desires. He’s trying to do the right thing, and that’s admirable in his own way… but it only leads to more problems.”

Echo shook her head, still sneering. “He’s such a sweet guy… he really believes that he can have his happily ever after. That everything’s going to work out all nice and neat, and that everyone is going to be all nice and handholdy by the end of this season.”

Her smile widened. “…That won’t be happening.”

Rose would have been intimidated by such vicious posturing from a host, especially knowing what they were capable of. But she didn’t yield to Echo’s projection of strength.

Because she wasn’t going to let anyone with Mary’s face intimidate her, whether that was Mary herself or some twisted copy!

“You don’t know Nick,” she said simply. “That guy is incredibly stubborn. If he’s determined to get a happy ending, I wouldn’t bet against him.”

She reached up and cupped her cheek, smiling a dreamy smile as she thought back to the good old days. “Back then… when I first came onto this show… I never would have imagined I’d actually fall for him,” she confessed. “I thought he was just some schlubby loser I could easily seduce. That I could wrap him around my finger, get him in the palm of my hand, and before anyone knew it, I’d be heading back home with a wish in my pocket and my brother’s future secured…”

Rose shook her head. How long ago was that? It felt like a lifetime.

“…As you must have seen, it didn’t end up working out that way,” she said ruefully. “Though, not for lack of trying.”

She let out a sigh.

“Then, when the dust settled, I thought it would be short work before I was headed home. After all, there wasn’t really any point to me being on the island, was there? I expected to be eliminated, but I still put up a fight. And… he put up a fight, too. He really tried to get to know me, and he was so persistent. There wasn’t anything to gain for him trying to get closer to me, but… he still didn’t give up. He knew that there was a normal girl deep down beneath the lies and deceit… and he showed me that person was someone who deserved to be loved.”

Rose placed her hand over her chest and swooned, remembering that warm feeling in her heart when she first knew she had fallen for him.

“I fell in love… quite on accident, I must say,” she tittered, shaking her head. Her fox ears twitched. “Nick’s persistence won me over, and that was when he wasn’t even really trying to seduce me. So if he turns that persistence towards something he actually wants, like a happy ending for everyone here on the island? I wouldn’t bet against him.”

Echo wasn’t smiling anymore. She stared coldly at Rose, trying to keep her fuming emotions beneath the surface. “…Are you done?” She snarled at the actress.

Rose tittered. “Not quite.”

She winked at the other woman. “The real proof of his persistence? I’ve been throwing myself at him for months but he still won’t admit that I’m a far better woman than your other self. Talk about a stubborn man! Foo.”

Echo’s eye twitched.

Then, slowly, a smile stretched across her face. “I seeeeeee…”

The way she started to giggle sent a chill down Rose’s spine. It wasn’t like Mary’s soft laughter whenever she was amused. It sounded like the cackling of a hyena or even the braying of a donkey. It left her completely frozen with confusion.

“I won’t deny, Rose, your master is stubborn,” Echo said, extending a gloved hand towards her. “And I understand your instinct to believe in him no matter what. Trust me- nobody on this island understands blind faith quite like me or my other self.”

Rose flinched as Echo’s hand rubbed up and down her cheek. Then Echo’s other hand snapped up, and suddenly she was cradling Rose’s face in both hands. Her green eyes were all but glowing as she pushed her face right up against Rose’s own.

“But that faith… will bring you to despair,” Echo said with a gleeful smile. “Nick can try all he likes… he can try to be the big, brave man, try to do the right thing… try to bring all of you happiness. But he won’t succeed… because I am here.”

Rose didn’t expect to actually be intimidated by Echo. But she was.

At least for a second.

“If you think that Nick’s intimidated by you-”

“No, no, no, no, no, you don’t understand at all,” Echo said, jerking Rose’s face back and forth to simulate a shaking head. Just gently enough that it didn’t hurt her. “The very fact that I exist means… what you’re hoping for is impossible.”

She clicked her tongue.

“If the producers were satisfied by the notion of a happy ending like the one you envision, I would never have even been born,” she murmured into Rose’s ear. “Mr. S would have just allowed Dakota to continue down that path of ineffectual rule. She would have been dragged down that road kicking and screaming, sure, but eventually Nick would have worn her down. He would have trapped her, due to her inability to go against him, and eventually, he would have been able to wring all the happiness he could want for you and the others out of her soft, weak heart.

Echo pulled back from Rose’s ear and looked her in the eyes again.

“As you might imagine… Mr. S wasn’t going to go for that sort of thing. And that’s why I’m here now, to take her place. Because he doesn’t want a ‘happy ending’ like that. Oh, he can’t interfere directly, of course. He can’t rig the game. But what he can do is put someone like me in charge… someone who won’t bow down to Nick and his whims. Someone who is thrilled by the idea of corrupting him and everything he loves, until it meets Mr. S’s… exacting standards. …Do you understand?”

Suddenly, her voice turned from cruel and intimidating, to almost sincere. Gentle, even. Like she genuinely wanted Rose to see her side of things.

There was such a Mary-like expression on her face that it made Rose sick to her stomach.

“I was born because Dakota couldn’t do her job to the satisfaction of our boss,” Echo said, reaching up and stroking what was left of Rose’s stubby hair. Just short of petting her ears. “Because Mr. S has a vision, and he decided Dakota was no longer capable of executing that vision. And while I don’t know what that vision may be, exactly, I know it doesn’t involve the words ‘And they all lived happily ever after. The end.’ …Do you understand me?”

“…All to well,” Rose said after an eternity of silence, glaring into Echo’s eyes. For the first time in quite a long time, she really hated the face she was staring at. And not just because it belonged to Mary.

Echo smiled. A sweet, serene smile, one filled with genuine joy.

“Good,” she said, letting Rose go. “I’m glad.”

“You know I’m a big ol’ tattletale, right?” Rose climbed out of bed and put some distance between herself and the twisted woman. “I’m going to run crawling to Nick and spill the beans, all so he’ll pat me on the head and tell me what a good girl I am. I’m a shady butt-kisser like that, always looking for an angle to get in good.”

She was exaggerating just a bit. Mostly.

Echo burst out laughing. “Oh, please, go right ahead! If Nick hasn’t figured that out already, I’d be shocked! In the back of his mind, he knows the score. He knows why he doesn’t have his precious Dakota to yank around anymore on her chain. Poor girl…”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head with pity in her eyes.

“Just like I know how desperate you are, Rose, to get in good with him.”

Echo tilted her head to the side and flashed a cheery smile. “So go on! If I can help, I’d be GLAD to do so! So, SO glad.”

Rose didn’t like the look on her face. She’s after something, isn’t she?

“What’s your game?” Rose demanded suspiciously. “You’re being a little too charitable.”

“Whatever do you mean? I’m a good Christian! I’m a charitable, hopeful, faithful, uh…”

She pulled a piece of paper out of her modest cleavage and flipped it open. “…Prudent, temperate, and just woman of fortitude.” She crumpled up the paper and tossed it over her shoulder with a bland look on her face. “…Yeah, right.”

Rose rolled her eyes.

Echo covered her sneer and shook her head. “I promise you, Rose, I swear, the last thing I want to do is help you.”

Finally, something Rose could believe.

“But frankly, out of all the girls on this show… I really am fond of you.”

…And right back to the obvious lies.

“Really?” Rose snorted. “You’re MARY. You expect me to believe that Mary- even a twisted, evil version like you, would ever be fond of me? Her biggest rival?”

“Wow, you really have a bad attitude where the other me is concerned, don’t you?” Echo was almost impressed.

Rose stuck her tongue out. “I’m only partly serious,” she replied. “But maybe it’s a big part.”

The more ambiguity she could throw in Echo’s face, the better.

Echo sighed. “That stubbornness of yours is almost cute, Rose, but… it’s not going to get you anywhere. And I think, deep down, you know it. But you’re so determined to go against me that you won’t even acknowledge the obvious- that what I’m trying to do can only benefit you.”

“Benefit me?” Rose snorted incredulously. “How exactly does THAT work?”

“What I’m seeking to do is tear down Nick’s sense of reason,” Echo said bluntly. “Those pesky social mores that keep him from becoming the sort of master that really gets the blood pumping, you know what I mean?”

She licked her lips.

Rose didn’t want to know what she meant.

“The reason I love Nick is because he’s such a good, upstanding person,” Rose said adamantly, placing her hand over her breast. “His love for me… it makes me want to be a better person!”

“Oh, does it? Does it really?” Echo asked sarcastically. “Because to me, it looks like you’ve been domesticated, Rose. Makes sense, since you’re basically a pet now.”

Rose’s hand shot up to her head in an instinctive move to cover her ears. “What’s THAT supposed to mean?” She snapped. “I’m nobody’s pet!”

“Oh?” Echo put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “Could have fooled me. Remember when you first started on this show? How ruthless you were? How determined you were, to be the first one in Nick’s heart? Before you even fell for him, that was your goal, to monopolize his attention.”

“…What I did back then, that was wrong of me,” Rose said seriously, glaring at the other woman. “I shouldn’t have tried to manipulate everyone and drive them apart. It’s a miracle that they forgave me for being such a terrible person. That Nick was willing to give me a second chance… and even fall in love with me.”

Echo rolled her eyes. “Blah, blah, blah. ‘Oh, boo-hoo! Boo-hoo! I was a bad, bad girl! Waaaaah!’” She mocked Rose, rubbing her hands in front of her eyes to mime herself crying. “Throw up in my mouth, why don’t you? You played to win, Rose. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Sure, the audience got all pissy, but what do they know?”

“You think I stopped acting that way because of the audience?” Rose snapped. “Don’t be ridiculous, I stopped going against the other girls because I knew that it was the right thing to do!”

“Oh really? Or was it because you knew Nick would like you better if you did?” Echo tossed at her, putting her hands on her hips.

Her words froze the blonde in place.

“…No, that-”

“Nick’s too much of a sap for a show like this. He’s a weak, pissy little coward,” Echo spat, shaking her head. “As soon as anyone does anything he doesn’t think is fair, he throws a little tantrum and makes them play nice. And all of you are SO determined to please him you just go along with it, even when it makes your own situation worse!”

Rose couldn’t accept what Echo was saying, even as the words resonated with her own experiences. “No, that-”

“And I’m not blaming you, either,” Echo cut her off, not about to let Rose defend her actions or those of the man she loved. “After all, this show is all about the master. If you actively go against his wishes, that’s only bad for you! So of course you can’t do that.”

She shook her head.

“Nick’s good heart- and Mary in his ear, whispering to him about how everyone should play fair- they’ve put you in a situation where you can’t properly make use of your guile, Rose. And that’s one of your greatest assets. He’s domesticated you, like a little puppy begging for treats, willing to do whatever tricks she can think of if it will make her master happy!”

“Even if I accepted what you were saying as the truth, so what?” Rose snapped, glaring at Echo. “I love Nick! I’m happy when he’s happy! So if I can do anything for the sake of his happiness, then I would do it, no matter what!”

Echo listened to her words and tried not to throw up. She just smirked instead and shook her head in exasperation.

“You’re so pathetic,” she sneered. “Tell me, then, were you happy with the result of that last challenge, Rose? You in last place, covered in semen for no reason?”

Rose glowered at the redhead. “What does that have to do with anything?” She snapped.

Echo shrugged. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? Nick’s happiness is your happiness. But I think you’re a little too selfish for that. See, the old Rose? The Rose with the killer instinct to win? Would she have REALLY gone to all that trouble to help out her fellow competitors? Going against Lynette the way you did, all to save your rivals? I mean, think about it! You were free and clear, Rose! You could have sauntered off through that maze, and at the very least, beaten six of the other women. But you didn’t. You went and you saved them, because that was the right thing to do. Because you knew that was what Nick wanted you to do. And what did you get in return? Hmm? Oh, that’s right, every last one of them beat you out in the end, and you were left with a single paltry Victory Point. What a worthy reward for all your hard work.”

Echo watched Rose carefully for any sign of emotion from the other woman. Rose had her head lowered so she couldn’t see her eyes, and her hands were trembling.

“…Even if what you’re saying is true…” Rose raised her head and looked at Echo, her eyes burning with determination.

“Oh?”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to just become a selfish bitch like you want me to be,” Rose snapped. “So if you’re trying to manipulate me, to turn me against the others, you can forget it! I’m not playing that game! I’m going to keep being a good person and appeal to Nick in my own way, so you can just back off!”

Echo sighed. She really had been trying to help Rose.

A pity that the dumb blonde couldn’t see that.

“Rose, you poor thing,” she murmured, shaking her head. “It really is hopeless for you. You realize I’m your last chance, right?”

“What’s that?” A shadow crossed Rose’s face.

“Nick is never going to change. Like you said, he’s too stubborn. He’s going to keep living by his own morals and beliefs, and he’s not going to stop… unless I get my way, of course. Unless I break him of that naïveté of his, he’ll just keep following his own convictions… and you’ll never find happiness like that, I’m afraid.”

“You don’t know me,” Rose snapped. “I’m quite adept at getting what I want.”

“Not when what you want is Nick’s hand in marriage, though,” Echo pointed out.

Rose flinched.

“A fake little pretend game of dress up in Dream Alley, or a fantasy with kids, that isn’t really enough for you, is it?” Echo shook her head. She had dug deep into Rose’s actions on the island in preparation for this confrontation. “No, you want the real thing. You want to marry him, don’t you? Well… that isn’t going to happen.”

Rose balled up her hand into a fist. “Shut up,” she snapped. “You don’t know that!”

“Oh, really? Because he couldn’t propose to Mary fast enough,” Echo fired back. “How many rounds ago was that, again? Five? Six? Hard to remember it’s been so long, isn’t it? But why do you think he hasn’t married you, yet? Or Holly, or anyone else, for that matter?”

She walked forward, her green eyes smoldering with disdain.

“Because he’s still bound by his beliefs and expectations about how things are supposed to be. Oh, sure, he’ll give lipservice to opening up his mind, but… his actions speak for themselves. In his heart, he still believes that marriage is between two people. …In this case, him and Mary. And there’s no room for you there, next to him at the altar.”

Echo’s words sent a chill down Rose’s spine.

“I know you love Nick just the way he is, believe me, I understand that,” Echo said, shaking her head and sighing. “But in this present situation, do you REALLY think you’ll ever get what you want? When he’s so enamored by my other self that the idea of marrying someone else for real is beyond the realm of his imagination?”

She tapped her fingers against the head of her cane.

“You see, that’s where I come in,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll break it all down. Those barriers, those restrictions… I’ll tear down the pathetic, weak Nick that you know and build him back up better, into a man who won’t care about stupid restrictions like that! Someone who can show you the love and appreciation you deserve! Don’t you see how great that will be for you?!”

Rose could imagine it. The picture Echo painted of a Nick that was willing to embrace her as openly as he did Mary, who was willing to marry her and make her his second wife, or even his first…

It was compelling.

She looked Echo square in the eye. “But that person wouldn’t be Nick anymore,” she said quietly. “Just like how you aren’t Mary.”

Echo froze. A twisted shadow stretched across her face, and she all but snarled.

“…I see, you just won’t listen to reason, then,” she muttered, shaking her head in disgust. “So much for all my hard work.”

Echo held up a sheet of paper and flung it at the fox girl. “Here’s your bounty sheet for this round,” she spat. “I hope you appreciate it. There are some real gems on there.”

She left the room, leaving a twisted laugh in her wake.

When Rose saw the bounty sheet, she understood why.

Her blood went cold.

“No way…”

This Round’s Bounties:

Masturbate in front of the Master – 100 BP

Take a Naked Photograph of another Contestant and show the Master – 100 BP

Go on a Date with another Contestant – 300 BP

Bring the Master to Orgasm with your Tail – 300 BP

Dose yourself with an Aphrodisiac – 500 BP

Bring the Master to Orgasm without Touching Him – 500 BP

Increase the severity of another Contestant’s Transformation – 500 BP (Plus expenses)

Whip and Spank another Contestant in front of the Master – 1000 BP

Collect Panties from Each Contestant for the Master – x200 BP (Can obtain multiple times, 200 BP per contestant.)

Marry the Master – 98 VP