The Recipe For Love

The sun was just beginning its descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, as Charlotte bounced on the balls of her feet, a whirlwind of nervous energy. She'd chosen a flowing sundress, a vibrant turquoise that made her eyes pop, and had spent an extra few minutes fussing with her hair, pulling it into a loose, playful braid. Despite the earlier drama with Paige and the unsettling conversation with Lauren, she was determined to make the most of her date with Turner. Tonight was about fun, laughter, and maybe, just maybe, getting a little closer to understanding Turner. But mostly fun and laughter. After their last date night had ended somewhat abruptly, she was determined to make this one better.

Charlotte bounded up to the lobby door of the hotel where Turner was staying. She rang the doorbell, signifying her arrival, and she could hear the sounds of Turner descending the stairs inside. He greeted Charlotte with a warm smile, and she couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation. "You look beautiful," he said, his eyes lingering on her dress.

"Thanks," Charlotte replied, a blush creeping up her cheeks. "You clean up pretty nicely yourself."

They strolled along the beach, the gentle sound of the waves providing a soothing backdrop to their conversation. Charlotte, true to her nature, was a chatterbox, filling the air with stories about her life back home, her quirky hobbies, and her infectious laughter. Turner listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with questions or anecdotes of his own. He was genuinely interested in getting to know her, and Charlotte appreciated that.

As they walked, Charlotte subtly steered the conversation towards Lauren. "So," she began casually, "have you had a chance to talk to Lauren today?"

Turner's smile faltered slightly, but he was internally happy that he wasn't the one to have to bring it up. "Not really," he admitted. "We… had a bit of a disagreement last night."

Charlotte nodded understandingly. "Yeah, she mentioned something about that. She can be a bit… intense sometimes."

"That's one word for it," Turner chuckled, a hint of weariness in his voice. "I just… I don't understand what's going on with her. She seems so closed off, and then she has these outbursts… it's like she's a completely different person."

Charlotte hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. She didn't want to betray Lauren's confidence, but she also felt a sense of responsibility to Turner. "She's been through a lot," she finally said, choosing her words carefully. "She mentioned something about a difficult relationship in the past. I think… I think she's still dealing with some of that."

Turner nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. "She mentioned that to me too," he said. "I just wish she would talk to me about it. I want to be there for her, but I don't know how."

"Maybe she just needs some time," Charlotte suggested. "Or maybe… maybe she needs a friend. Someone who understands what she's going through."

"Yeah," Turner sighed. "Maybe you're right."

They continued their walk in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the weight of the conversation hanging in the air.

"Hey, you never mentioned where you were taking me, we've just kind of been walking this way," Turner realized.

"Oh right!" Charlotte responded. She had been so caught up in their walk that she completely forgot where they were going in the first place. "I think we went a little too far, let's go back!"

"Back towards the plaza?" Turner quizzically asked.

"It'll all make sense when we get there!"

And just like the week before, Charlotte grabbed his hand as she pulled him back in the direction they had come from, skipping down the boardwalk without much care in the world. The simple change in conversation had done wonders for the heavy atmosphere that was present, as she felt much more like her previous carefree self. Once they made their way back to the kitchen in the plaza, she came to a sudden stop and turned to him.

"The kitchen...?" Turner asked.

"Yep!" Charlotte responded, Turner's perceived skepticism not slowing her down one bit. "Always wanted to learn how to cook better. Back when I was a kid I would cook all the time, but recently I've been living with some friends for a while and we usually just get takeout. Plus, I've always wanted to go on a cooking date!"

Turner raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth starting to form a smile. "That's definitely a new one. Can't say I've ever been on one of those before."

"Exactly!" Charlotte chirped, scrubbing her hands in the sink. "New experiences are what life's all about, right? And plus, you might discover that you're a closeted culinary genius yourself."

He couldn't argue with that. Similar to her, he really hadn't had time in his current place in life to be learning how to cook amongst everything going on. He commuted to and from work, which added a couple hours on to his already eight-hour workday, and contributed greatly to his exhausted feeling back at home. Who knows when he would be able to get this sort of opportunity again?

The kitchen itself was very spacious and accommodating. Gleaming stainless steel surfaces contrasted beautifully with the rustic wooden cabinets. The large kitchen island in the center is where Charlotte mentioned lots of other girls would eat breakfast in the mornings, and it was spacious enough for a couple people to work simultaneously. Speaking of working...

"Hey, Charlotte," Turner realized, turning off the sink and flinging his fingers into the basin to throw excess water off of them. "Did you arrange for some sort of chef to come in here and help us? Because unless you're planning on making a pretty simple meal, I feel like it could go badly without one."

"That...I did not do," she shuffled nervously. "But how complicated can pasta be to make?"

"From scratch?" he asked. "That sounds...pretty complex."

Charlotte's smile faltered for a split-second before coming up with an idea. "Okay, maybe from scratch is a bit ambitious. But we can do halfsies! We can use pre-made pasta noodles, which I'm positive they have around here, but we can make the sauce ourselves! Put our own spin on it, so to speak!"

Turner chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he smiled, amused. "You're something. Alright, pasta it is, but if this ends up being a disaster, I'm holding you accountable for it."

"It's a deal!" she declared, jokingly shaking one of his hands before she grabbed a pair of aprons and threw one to him. "Now let's see..what kind of culinary masterpiece of a sauce should we make? How about...some classic tomato sauce with a hint of basil, garlic...and some mushrooms?"

"Sounds good," he assented, silently relieved she wasn't too optimistic to do something unreasonable.

They set off to work, Charlotte taking the lead chopping vegetables with surprising speed and even more surprising precision. Turner started mincing some garlic with more apprehension, trying his best to keep up with her energetic pace. There was a comfortable rhythm to their synchronized movements, a silent understanding as they worked in the kitchen, lit by the orange glow of the setting sun behind them. The aroma of sautéing garlic and herbs filled the air, making their mouths water.

"Hey hey hey!" Abby announced her entrance into the kitchen, breaking the two out of their state of flow. "What's cooking? Quite literally."

"We're making some pasta," Charlotte answered, not bothered at all that their date was being more or less crashed by another girl.

Abby leaned against the counter, arms crossed, with a playful smirk across her face. "Smells amazing. Mind if I observe the culinary geniuses at work?"

"Not at all!" Charlotte replied, winking at Turner. "Although, genius might be a bit of a stretch, I'd describe us more as 'enthusiastic amateurs'."

Abby chuckled. "With how good this smells, I wouldn't doubt you two for a second. So, what exactly are we whipping up here?"

"We, and by we I mostly mean Charlotte, decided to go for a classic tomato with garlic, basil, and mushrooms," Turner explained, stirring the simmering sauce.

"Sounds perfect," Abby nodded. "Although, if you want to give it a little kick, might I recommend a little red pepper?"

"Ooh, that's a really good idea," Turner said, reaching for the spice jar. It made sense to listen to Abby's advice, she was the person who cooked the most at their house. "Just a pinch though, I don't wanna set mine, or anyone else's, mouth on fire."

The now-three of them chatted as they continued preparing the meal. Despite her initial teasing, Abby was genuinely invested in their cooking project, offering helpful tips and taking over menial tasks when needed. As the pasta cooked, Charlotte couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. Even when considering the interruption, she was genuinely enjoying herself. Turner was as well, his woes from last night momentarily forgotten.

"Okay," Charlotte said, eying the sauce critically. "I think we're ready. Turner, you handle the sauce, I'll get the noodles, Abby, you're in charge of the cheese."

They worked together seamlessly, plating the dishes with a generous portion for each of the three of them. The result was a culinary triumph, simple but satisfying.

"Voila!" Charlotte excitedly yelled. "Absolute perfection, if I do say so."

"Looks amazing," Abby agreed. "You two got some serious culinary skills."

"See, what'd I tell you about letting out your hidden cooking genius?" Charlotte elbowed Turner playfully.

"I think you deserve most of the credit," Turner fired back. "You're more of the mastermind behind the operation."

Charlotte blushed at the compliment. "It was a team effort at the very least. Now let's eat!"

They each took their seats at the kitchen island, the aroma of pasta filling the air. The first bite confirmed what they thought, a testament to their success. It was rich, flavorful, perfectly cooked, and Abby's suggestion about the pepper had been right on the money.

"This is seriously amazing," Abby said, twirling pasta absentmindedly.

"Definitely," Turner agreed enthusiastically. He was surprised at how much he had enjoyed the process. Prior times when he had worked in the kitchen would be best described as clumsy and stressful, but Charlotte's infectious enthusiasm had made it fun. He glanced at her, smiling deeply.

Charlotte beamed back, her earlier anxieties completely forgotten. The easy camaraderie, the shared laughter, delicious food, heck, even Abby's presence all added to create the perfect date night she could've thought of in this situation she'd been thrown into.

By the time they'd finished eating, the sun had finally set, casting long shadows across the pair and letting the warm lamplight of the boardwalk shine brightly. Charlotte looked up, surprised at how late it was.

"Wow, this was a great night," Charlotte admitted. "Dare I say, it was perfect."

"It really was," Turner agreed. "I had a great time."

The warm atmosphere was broken when they heard a loud crash in the background. Turning to the source of the sharp sound, they saw Abby standing over the sink, flummoxed.

"Oops!" she lightheartedly said, bending over. "Broke a plate."

Charlotte and Turner shared a look, amused at the situation.

"Come on, Kendra's gonna **** us up to the room soon if we don't go up ourselves," Turner led. "So long, Abby!"

"Bye guys!" was the response from behind the counter as the dark-haired girl swept up the porcelain shards.

The walk back to the hotel was comfortable and quiet, a pleasant contrast to the prior chatter. Charlotte felt a warm glow inside, a sense of contentment she hadn't experienced in a long time. Turner was a lot easier to talk to than she had anticipated, and the unexpected variables of Lauren and Abby hadn't derailed their evening too much.

As they reached the doors of the hotel, there was a brief pause. Knowing Charlotte's position made it difficult for Turner to say much of anything. She, likewise, was a little bit anxious about entering the hotel, knowing what Kendra had done to Emma last week. Just then, a loud yell came from the direction they'd just walked from.

"Turner! Charlotte! Thank God you two are still here!"

It was Paige running up to them, her face pale and her eyes wide with panic. She rushed towards them, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Paige? What's wrong?" Turner asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"It's Becca," she panted. "She's not here. Ordinarily I wouldn't care less, because she never tells me where she's going, but this time, it felt...off."

"Off?" Turner echoed, worried about his girlfriend. "You think she's like gone missing or something?"

"Didn't Sara go missing earlier this week though?" Charlotte recalled. "And for all intents and purposes, Kathryn declared me as 'missing' this week too. What kind of a pattern is this? Some way to create drama in the plot?"

"Not funny," Turner responded, stressed about the whole situation. "Okay, Paige, start from the beginning. What happened?"

"Well, she was gone this morning when I went to get breakfast, which is pretty normal for her," Paige started. "Then throughout the day, she came in an out as usual, like most everyone else does. But when I came back from dinner, she wasn't there and she left a note saying 'I'm off to see Kendra. Don't wait up'. What would she want to do with Kendra?"

"Last time she went to go see Kendra, she almost got eliminated from the show," Charlotte remembered. "That can't be good."

"Do you have any clue where Kendra might be around now?" Turner asked. "Or know if Becca had any idea?"

"No, I have no clue," Paige admitted.

"Why don't we go talk to Abby?" Charlotte suggested. "She's probably still in the kitchen, and if not, she can't have gone far. She's Becca's sister after all."

"That's a good idea, we'll group up with Abby and see where we should go from there," Turner assented as the trio walked back to the kitchen.

The kitchen, now empty save for the lingering scent of a meal that seemed hours ago and a few grains of porcelain still on the floor, proved unhelpful to the trio. Abby wasn't there. Charlotte, Paige, and Turner exchanged worried glances.

"Okay, surely Kendra has to show up at some point," Turner reasoned. "Eventually, she's gonna **** Charlotte and I into the suite. But there's no telling when that'll be."

"Right, she's never had to do that before, and if memory serves, you and Sara were out rather late two nights ago?" Paige looked back up at him.

"Yeah...I think we need to split up," Turner started taking charge of the situation. "Paige, you check the houses along the boardwalk, starting with yours and Becca's. Charlotte, focus on the common areas around here. I'll check the grounds outside. We'll meet up here in fifteen minutes, okay?"

They dispersed, each feeling a pit in their stomach. Paige in particular was more worried than she thought she'd be about Becca going missing, but this time just felt...different to her. Her and Becca's room was empty, the bed still neatly made. She knocked on everyone else's door, but each pair said they hadn't seen the orange-haired girl at all since the morning.

Charlotte hurried down the stone path into the lobby of the hotel, checking its many extensive rooms, her footsteps echoing in the eerily quiet and grandiose halls. The pool was empty, the gym was empty, all of the music rooms were empty, nothing was proving fruitful.

Turner was likewise coming up short. The beach was quiet aside from the sound of the waves lapping the shores, the gardens nearby were shrouded in darkness, and the edge of the jungle was likewise empty.

Fifteen minutes later, they reconvened in the kitchen, each looking grim.

"Nothing," Charlotte reported.

"No sign of her," Paige confirmed.

"I didn't find anything outside either," Turner shook his head, his jaw trembling a little bit. "Wait, the BP store, do you think anything there would summon her?"

"I don't think so," Charlotte shook her head. "When Lauren and I were going through it the other day, we didn't see anything about summoning a contestant to your current location."

"Anything that would summon Kendra?" he pressed.

"I mean, we could trigger a transformation vote," Charlotte offered. "Either on Becca or on one of us."

"That's a last-resort option," Paige vetoed. "I don't think anyone should be getting a transformation vote if they don't need to. Not even Becca."

"Wait, did you check all of the houses?" Turner asked Paige.

"Yep," she responded.

"Even Abby and Lana's?" he pressed further, receiving a nod in response. "Was Abby there?"

"Oh, yeah, she was there," Paige responded. "And before you ask, no, she didn't know where Becca had gone."

"And you didn't think to tell her Becca was missing?" Turner narrowed his eyes.

"Well...listen, I'm a little stressed right now," Paige defended.

"I get that Paige, but we need to be thorough," Turner sighed, rubbing his temples anxiously. "Abby is her sister, she probably knows her better than anyone else."

"Fine," Paige huffed, a little miffed. "But I'm telling you, she didn't know anything about her whereabouts. And we still don't know where Kendra is."

"We could always just wait around for Kendra to show up and tell us to turn in for the night," Charlotte said.

"Again, there's no saying when that'll be though," Turner countered. "It could be fifteen minutes, it could be three hours. And we still don't know if Becca found her. For a host of the show, she's rather elusive."

"Yeah, you'd think she'd make herself a bit more available if she wanted us to stop painting her as a villain," Paige rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, let's go see if Abby has any leads," Turner refocused the conversation as the group walked back to Abby's.

Paige knocked sharply on the door, a little harder than necessary due to her earlier annoyance. The door swung open to reveal Abby, in a robe, clearly about to hit the hay.

"Hey again Paige...Charlotte and Turner, I thought you were on your date night still?" Abby looked concernedly at the group.

"Becca's missing," Paige blurted out. "I know I told you that I was looking for her, but she's really missing. She left a note saying she was going to see Kendra, but we can't find either of them."

Abby's eyes widened, her hands going to her mouth. "Oh my god, I haven't seen her since early this morning. I thought you were just trying to find her so you could get in another arguing spat with her." Abby looked over at Lana, who was intently watching the conversation, equally concerned.

"Did she say anything else in the note?" Lana asked.

Paige shook her head. "No, just that she was going to see Kendra and not to wait up."

"She has been acting a little strange lately," Abby wracked her brain. "Kathryn mentioned her being a little more testy than usual at breakfast this morning."

"A little more testy?" Paige asked for clarification. "Like it only took her two sentences to blow up instead of three?"

"Yeah, something like that," Abby said. "We should probably go talk to Kathryn though, she's got the best information about all of that."

And so it was. The now-group of five walked down the steps of the current bungalow they were in and made their way next door to Sara and Kathryn's bungalow, where Paige once again was the one to knock on the door.

The door swung open, revealing Kathryn, also dressed in a robe, her face a mix of annoyance and concern. "What is it? It's late," she asked somewhat impatiently.

"It's Becca," Turner stepped up this time. "She's missing, and all that we have is a note saying she was gonna talk to Kendra, but as typical, we can't find her."

"Christ, another person going missing?" Kathryn pinched the bridge of her nose, exhausted from trying to keep up with Charlotte the day prior. "Are you sure this isn't another situation like Sara, where she's trying to find good date spots for her night with Turner? After all, her night is in three days, and Kendra would know all about those sorts of things."

"We didn't check the town area," Charlotte mumbled. "But something about this doesn't feel right."

"Doesn't feel right?" Kathryn countered, her demeanor typically more analytical. "You're going on an island-encompassing manhunt on a feeling?"

"You mentioned she was acting off this morning," Abby joined Turner on the top step. "Did she say anything specific in that conversation?"

"Yeah, she was agitated," Kathryn confirmed. "She went from 0-60 faster than ever before, and then right back down to normal in thirty seconds flat. It was honestly impressive."

"Anything of concern that she said?" Turner pressed.

"She did say something like 'I guess I should try and reach the end of the game first', but that just sounds like normal game talk to me," Kathryn recalled.

"End of the game, like reaching 100 points?" Abby clarified. "Or an elimination?"

"She didn't say," Kathryn shook her head. "But I can't imagine it would've been an elimination."

"Earlier this week, she did mention wanting to lessen hostilities between herself and Paige," Abby remembered. "And I told her that it was gonna take some work on her part, which she didn't really take to kindly to."

Paige chuckled darkly and rolled her eyes. "Sounds about right."

"What about after your night with Turner, Sara, didn't Becca go off and talk with you one-on-one?" Kathryn asked the other girl in the room.

"Come to think of it, that was an interesting conversation," Sara chimed in. "I told her she has to lay off the other people here because she's being a little possessive over Turner, and she said something about how she wasn't feeling quite right. I wonder if it's her transformation."

"Which transformation?" Charlotte asked.

"Both of them, actually," Sara answered. "Her Wingwoman transformation has been compelling her to set Turner up with other girls, but her Just Like We Planned transformation is probably making her more possessive."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about the second one," Lana mumbled.

"Do you think she's asking Kendra to take one of those off of her and alleviate the stress?" Turner posed.

"Could be, but that'd be a steep price to pay if Kendra was to do that," Kathryn grimaced. "Probably a punishment transformation or something like that. Especially considering the price to block a transformation for a day is 5000 BP. Outright removing one for the rest of the game would cost a pretty penny. And I know for a fact she doesn't have 5000 BP, she couldn't have accrued that total between the popularity votes, and there's no way to gain BP aside from those."

"So, we're back at square one," Turner said. "At least we know that she's been acting weird, and that note about Kendra was probably genuine."

"Hey, you're not supposed to call your girlfriend weird," Abby said, jokingly trying to lighten the mood, which was met with six blank stares. "Sorry, I'll read the room next time."

"We need a new plan," Charlotte said. "Splitting up wasn't worth the time."

"Okay, so what do we know?" Lana asked. "We know that Becca was acting strange, she left a note about Kendra, she may be trying to get rid of a transformation, and Kendra is nowhere to be found."

"And that she was worried about getting to the end of the game," Sara added. "Plus, last time she went to Kendra about removing a transformation, she went in guns blazing and almost got a punishment transformation."

"Do you think that's what happened?" Kathryn asked. "Kendra said there wouldn't be a warning the next time she tried that."

"Nah, Becca might be a firecracker, but she's not reckless," Abby responded.

"Maybe she's trying to leave the show," Paige offered. "Maybe she's had enough."

"Becca wouldn't give up like that, would she?" Turner rhetorically asked, hoping someone would make him feel better by denying that claim, but the respite never came.

"She definitely could, especially in this situation," Abby said. "She's been going through this for weeks now, watching as her boyfriend has to now be tied to nine other girls. I think a lot of people in that situation wouldn't be able to hold out as long as she has."

"But Kendra really drilled into us what the ramifications of a punishment transformation would be," Lana said. "And if these have been my normal transformations, literally being changed into a girl, what would her punishment transformations be like? That doesn't sound like a risk anyone would want to take."

"She's not exactly thinking clearly though," Kathryn countered. "If you saw her this morning, you'd understand."

"Again, where in the fuck is Kendra?" Paige started getting irritated. "If we could just find her, then all of this would be solved!"

"Have we considered the lighthouse?" Sara pointed out. "After both of the challenges, she went in that direction. And a lighthouse seems like the perfect place for Kendra and her ego-ridden self to have some sort of office, where she can watch over all of us."

"That's it!" Turner exclaimed. "She brought me up there one time, completely off-camera, I don't remember why, but she's most likely up there."

"How did Becca know to go there though?" Abby asked.

"She may have just gotten Kendra to teleport her there," Kathryn said. "Kendra has that power, y'know, and if it was for a transformation and drama, that's the sort of thing that she eats up."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Charlotte started running towards the lighthouse. "Let's go!"

The group, now a determined pack with an actual destination, followed Charlotte's lead and raced towards the lighthouse, their footsteps echoing on the boardwalk. The beam of the lighthouse sliced through the darkness, but it offered no comfort to their anxious hearts. As they approached, it cast an inky, imposing shadow on the group.

"Okay," Turner said as they reached the base. "We have to be careful. Kendra's crafty."

"You can say that again, she basically strong-armed me into taking a severe transformation," Lana rolled her eyes.

Turner pushed open the heavy door, revealing a long spiral staircase.

"You'd think for a magic host's office, they'd have some sort of better way for getting there," Sara snorted. "This reminds me of going down the fire escape when someone burned their popcorn in my apartment complex."

The septet ascended the winding stairs, the silence only broken by their hurried breaths. The sound of the wind howling around the tall structure grew louder, and the smell of salt only amplified as they climbed higher. Finally, they reached the top, a small room dominated by a large window overlooking the churning sea. And there, standing with their back to the staircase, was Becca and Kendra. The sound of seven people entering the building caused the pair to turn around. Kendra looked indifferent, but Becca looked forlorn, the sight of a group of people causing her to perk up a little bit.

"Becca!" Abby called out, reaching towards her sister, but Kendra stopped her.

"Oh, you wanted to see the show?" Kendra said, her Southern drawl never seeming more threatening. "Well, you're just in time!"