You tell me that you're sorry, didn't think I'd turn around, and say that it's too late to apologize

The beautiful face of a blonde woman, smiling through her tears, glowed on the television screen in the Master’s Suite. She reached down and pulled a little girl into her arms, cradling her softly.

The little girl said something in French that Nick didn’t understand. Thankfully, the subtitles were there to translate for him.

<Is it okay now?>

The blonde nodded, wiping her eyes. “Oui,” she began. <Everything is alright.>

The girl glanced shyly into the woman’s eyes. <So… are you… my new mommy?>

“Oui,” she nodded again. <Yes. Yes I am.>

Nick was practically in tears as the credits played.

“Your mom really was amazing,” he sighed, wiping his eyes. “And I had no idea you were such an adorable kid back then… Rose?”

He turned to his bedmate, but Rose had fallen asleep a long time ago, snoring lightly as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Nick smiled and helped her lie down properly so she wasn’t propped up against the headboard. Then he turned off the movie and got ready for bed himself.

The last thing he saw before he went to sleep that night was the small smile on Rose’s face, beaming so brightly it was as if the dried tears on her face didn’t even exist.

That night, Nick dreamed that he and Rose were in a film of their own, a film noir. How fitting for his French femme fatale. He played opposite her seductive role as the grizzled detective who’d seen a lot of shit, such a far departure from his regular self, it felt like he was watching the movie, rather than starring in it.

It didn’t help that all their lines were in French. With no subtitles to bail him out, he followed the two heroes through a maze of guile, lies, and trickery as they explored a black and white world in the search for… something.

Nick could barely follow what was happening. He and Rose were on a rooftop, and there was a guy standing in front of them with a briefcase in one and a gun in the other, shouting gibberish. Nick didn’t even remember shooting him, but he must have, because the guy tumbled off the building and his briefcase skidded in front of their feet. He knelt down and opened it up, revealing Rose’s necklace.

Oh, so that’s what this was about, I guess? Nick didn’t know much about film noir. But he knew what was going on when he took Rose into his arms and kissed her. Then everything went black and the credits started to play, and he finally woke up.

Color. It took him a second to remember what “color” looked like. The first thing he recognized was gold. Not the golden walls of the Master’s Suite, or even the gold of the sheets he was lying in, but the golden locks of Rose’s hair, tumbling over her face.

The next color he saw was blue, as she looked him in the eyes while wearing a warm smile.

“Finally awake?” She murmured.

“Uhum, uh… yeah…” He mumbled, sitting up. Luckily, before their marathon of Madelyn’s movies, he’d put his pants back on. Otherwise he would be showing his bedmate something rather embarrassing right now.

Rose yawned and climbed out of bed, stretching. She looked so much more at ease than she had last night, as if she’d finally managed to sleep comfortably for the first time.

Also lucky for Nick, Rose had changed her clothes. She hadn’t put her dress back on, but had worn one of his shirts instead. That should have been fine, but she also insisted on a pair of shorts to go with them, and her ass had a lot more meat to it than his did. Her chest wasn't any better. Her mother's necklace drew his eyes to her breasts, which pushed out his shirt tightly.

“Thank you for these,” she smiled. It was as if she didn't even realize how tantalizing her new outfit looked. “I don’t… I’d prefer not to wear that dress any longer, if it’s possible.”

Rose made a complex face. She’d done a lot of things in that dress she’d been ashamed of. Frankly, she’d like to burn it if possible. But that wouldn’t make up for her actions.

“You’re going to need to get some real clothes,” Nick warned her. “I don’t think Sylvia’s going to let you just walk around wearing my things.”

“She might,” Rose tittered. “So long as it gets a reaction like that out of you.”

Nick blushed and pulled the blanket over the tent in his pants.

Rose sighed. “It probably won’t matter anyhow… I doubt I’ll be around long enough to need new clothes, anyway.”

“Rose…” Hearing her talk like that stung. Nick had gotten to really talk with Rose for the first time last night. And after staying up late watching his favorite old movies together, he didn’t know if he was ready for her to be eliminated yet.

“It’s fine,” she lied, shaking her head sadly. “You don’t have to feel bad, I brought this on myself. Last night gave me the chance to clear my head. And at least, if I am to leave anyway, I would like to do so after clearing the air.”

She did a little twirl, showing off her new clothes. In spite of the fact that his shirt was clearly a little too large on her, even with her chest pushing it out, she still looked great. Nick wondered if it was possible for her to look bad in anything.

“Oui, this is much more my style, no need for that fancy gown,” she tittered. “Perhaps I make a better tomboy than seductress. That does seem to be your preference, no?” She gave Nick a playful wink, and he wondered just how much of the flirty femme fatale had really been an act. Perhaps she might have enjoyed the role a little more than she let on.

“You’re not still trying to seduce me, are you?” He sighed, exaggerating his exasperation.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she replied with a grin. Then she sighed. “Pity… it might have been nice, falling in love with you.”

“Hey, you can always start right now,” he joked. “Stranger things have happened.”

Her only answer was a playful laugh. “Alas, there isn’t the time. We have a busy day ahead of us. And you need to take a shower. Sadly, I won’t be joining you like Carly did.”

Nick rolled his eyes. Of course she’d told everyone about that.

“Are you sure you don’t need one too?” He teased. “You seemed to be getting pretty hot and heavy last night.”

“Ah, because I’m French, you think I need to shower?” She clicked her tongue and wiggled her finger from side to side. “Tsk, tsk. Naughty boy, believing stereotypes like that.”

“Hey, I didn’t mean-!”

“Teasing,” she tittered. “Actually, I already took a shower before you woke up.”

“Wait, what? So you got up, took a shower, got dressed, and then got back in bed with me?!”

“You’re a very heavy sleeper,” she nodded with a grin. “And the thought of your reaction was too enticing to resist.”

Nick scowled. But he did the polite thing nonetheless and escorted her to the door. She stepped out into the hall and turned back to him, her necklace shining along with her eyes and in the golden light.

“I enjoyed myself last night,” she murmured. “I know it wasn’t everything I promised, but-”

“Honestly?” Nick cut her off, smiling. “Whether the sex would have been ‘amazing’ or not, I think I liked getting to know the real you better than it would have been sleeping with the fake you.”

Rose’s smile widened and her eyes watered. But she kept her head held high. “Au revoir, mon compagnon,” she murmured, kissing him on one cheek, then the other.

“Oh? What happened to ‘mon chérie’?” Nick asked, trying to play off his blush.

“That… was a different Rose, a fake Rose, who said those things,” the real Rose replied. “Mon compagnon is much more fitting.”

“Why, what does it mean?”

Rose’s eyes sparkled playfully. “…Companion, of course. It means ‘friend’.”

With a final wave, the blonde strutted barefoot down the hall. It was well past midnight and she’d left both shoes at the ball, instead of one, but she seemed content with that outcome in the end.

And she kept to herself that “compagnon” meant something a little more intimate than just a friend.

It was the morning of the second challenge, so the girls had all been ordered to assemble in the banquet hall for breakfast. Rose was the last one to arrive, having changed into the strappy sandals she wore to the beach. They might have been heeled, but if this challenge would require physical exercise like the last one, they were still better than the stilettos she’d been wearing all week.

Everyone took note of the new atmosphere around Rose, and a vigilant Dakota picked up on the fact that the number on her hand read “22”. That was higher than her total, but not as high as it should have been.

“You didn’t sleep with him?” She asked bluntly. Mary choked on her eggs and Kim’s eyes widened in shock.

Holly sighed in disappointment. She’d had such a good dream last night about Carly showing Nick what a real woman was capable of, and while Rose may not have been Carly, she was still pretty sexy in her own right.

Rose looked out at the sea of staring faces, understanding how confused they must have been. With all the sexual things she’d done over the past week, and the fact that this may very well have been her last chance, most of the girls had assumed she’d pull out all the stops.

Now that they knew she didn’t, she became a curiosity.

“…Yes, you’re right,” Rose nodded. “I didn’t sleep with the master. I mean, with Nick. I took my clothes off for him, got into bed with him, but in the end… I couldn’t do it.”

“Why not?!” Holly protested. “How could you resist?! Getting a taste of that-!”

“Holly!” Mary exclaimed, her face turning red.

Holly snapped out of her fugue and gave her friend a sheepish smile. “S-Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Mary sighed. Even after everything that had happened between them, she still regarded Holly as a friend. It would take some time to get used to the “real” Holly.

“Holly’s not the only one asking, though,” Carly said. “Why didn’t you sleep with him?” For Carly’s costume today, she wore a red-trimmed black dress with a wide skirt and stockings. The red ties of her corset hugged her hourglass figure, which was partially concealed by a hooded red cloak. Her hair was cut in a messy bob with red tips, and she completed the gothic outfit with a pair of black and red boots. If she had a massive scythe, she would have made a perfect Ruby Rose.

“I did not sleep with Nick… because I do not love him,” Rose answered. She didn’t back down or shy away from her declaration, but stated it with pride. “I believe that my first time should be with someone I love, not given away to a man I’ve barely known for a week.”

Mary’s eyes widened in understanding and she nodded her head vigorously. Dawn stared at the actress in shock.

“B-But what about all that stuff we did?!” She sputtered in confusion. “All the tips and tricks you taught me? You’ve never even had sex before?”

“For real?” Dani asked, amazed that she had actually had sex with more men than someone like Rose.

“For real,” Rose confirmed, nodding. “I’ve never had sex. Before I came here, the most I’ve ever done with a boy was kissing, and even then, that was practice for movies. I was brought to this island to play a part, to act out the role of a seductress. And for that, I must apologize.”

She lowered her head contritely, and then raised it to look the girls in the eye one at a time.

“Over this last week, I have said and done dishonest things,” she admitted. “I have tried to turn you all against one another, tried to split you up from your buddies, and even, in some cases, corrupt your conscience.” She looked at Holly when she said that. “I did it out of my own self-interest, because I wanted to get one of you eliminated. But that was wrong of me. I know apologizing won’t make up for everything I’ve done, but… if this will be our last day together, I want you to at least be upset with the real me, not… not a character that I was asked to play.”

Her apology finished, she waited in silence to hear what the other girls had to say.

“You don’t need to apologize!” Holly exclaimed, rushing over to Rose. “Certainly not to me! I’m grateful to you for what you did! You opened my eyes and let me finally come to terms with who I am! I was miserable before, but now I know that I can be myself while still being accepted by the people I care about.”

“…Um, that’s nice to say, but…” Rose could see the fawning adoration in Holly’s eyes, and it felt a little uncomfortable. Forgiveness was one thing, but to be actually thanked felt wrong. She pulled herself away and tried to smile back, but couldn't fake nearly the same level of genuine joy in the shorter girl's expression.

“Well, I’m not going to say you don’t need to give me an apology,” Carly cut in. She shrugged. “But hey, you did say you're sorry, so we’re cool. Not like you did much against me anyway. Besides, I get it. You were trying to stay in the game, right? I can’t exactly fault you for that.”

“I guess I feel the same way,” Dani agreed. “I’m a little more upset than Carly probably is, but I can see you feel bad about playing around with us, so… I guess I’m not going to break your spine.”

Rose turned white. “Uh…”

Dani flashed a grin. “I’m kidding. Wow. You should see the look on your face!” She punched her hand and Rose flinched.

“Oh, yeah, this is going to be fun.” Dani's giggles sent a shiver down the actress's spine.

“Oooh, I like that,” Gina giggled. “We can keep her around and play pranks on her for being a schemer! Yeah, sure! If that's how it is, I'll forgive her, let’s not eliminate her yet!”

In spite of Gina's own attempts to change her ways, that line of thinking was not exactly consistent with a "good girl".

“Well, that, um, that wasn’t what I…” Rose started to get worried. The conversation was shifting in a direction that she wasn’t comfortable with.

“Well, I for one am not going to begrudge you anything,” Dakota said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and leaning back in her chair. “You were playing the game. You got a role, you played it, because you wanted to win. Who would be mad at you for that?”

She narrowed her eyes and a wicked smile spread across her pale lips. “Of course, if you’re looking for ways you can make it up to us…”

I’m not here right now. I’m not here right now. I’m in my happy place, maman is reading my brother and I a bedtime story… Rose averted her eyes from the playful malevolence roiling in Dakota, seeking out someone, anyone for salvation.

Her eyes landed on Dawn, who sniffed and turned away.

“Dawn…”

“Don’t think I’m going to forgive you that easy!” Dawn pouted. And yet her wagging tail said something different. “I-I mean… um… look, you need to do a lot to make up for lying to me, okay?” She insisted, jabbing her finger at Rose.

“R-Right! Yes, of course!” Rose nodded, startled a little by the taciturn girl’s harsh declaration.

Dawn crossed her arms, frowning. “And… well, I still need you to teach me a bunch of stuff, so… it’s not like you can just go and get kicked out on your own, right?!”

Rose’s eyes widened. “Dawn…”

“I-I mean, hypothetically!” Dawn hissed, her tail standing on end. “If you want to! I’m not asking or anything!”

“Okay, um, sure, right,” Rose nodded. That just left two people left.

Team Virgin, the two girls she’d probably treated the worst out of everyone here.

Rose walked over to them and apologized personally.

“I’m really sorry,” she said again, turning to Kim. “I told Mary that you probably liked Nick. That must have caused some issues between the two of you.”

Kim and Mary glanced at each other.

“No, not really,” Kim said, shaking her head.

“We’re fine,” Mary agreed, smiling at her friend. “It’s thanks to Kim and Holly that I was able to recover so fast after everything that happened with Nick.”

Rose sighed in relief. “I-I see… well, that’s good then…”

“But I still haven’t forgiven you,” Mary said, her face turning to stone. Rose winced. “Lying is a sin. It’s one of the Ten Commandments. ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor’. We’re your neighbors, all of us. And you lied to us. Again and again.”

She looked honestly hurt, which came as a surprise. Rose assumed the other girl didn't even like her.

“…I know,” Rose acknowledged, lowering her head. “And I’m sorry. I really am.”

Mary seemed nonplussed by her apology. Unlike the other times people had apologized to her, she regarded Rose with coldness.

“I suppose, if you never do it again, that’s good,” Mary replied. “But I’m still not ready to forgive you until you make amends and prove you’ve changed.”

“I will,” Rose nodded. “I have changed. Or rather… I’m not going to be that kind of Rose anymore. You have my word.”

It was a dangerous promise to make in a game focused around changing people's natures completely. Even Rose wasn't sure how long she'd be able to maintain that promise if she remained on the show.

Mary’s face still remained frosty. “…Well, hopefully you’ll have plenty of time to prove it.”

“Dang,” Gina whispered. “Mary’s really mad.”

“Mary hates lies,” Holly winced. “It’s going to be a while before Rose digs herself out of that.”

Rose ignored the harsh treatment from the girl who was unquestionably the sweetest person on the show. It was no less than what she deserved. And with how Mary had phrased that last part, it almost sounded like she was telling Rose not to get eliminated. Or maybe she was just reading too deeply into it.

Kim was a little more receptive to Rose’s apology.

“You said you played around with us, lied to us, for money?” She asked quietly.

Rose nodded. “For my brother. To support him.”

The schoolgirl smiled a little. “I’m… I’m competing too, for my family,” she admitted. “I can understand why you would do something like that… even if I wouldn’t myself. And hey, I mean… it’s not like anything really bad happened, and you realized what you did was wrong, right? So if you really do feel sorry and you won't do it again, I guess… I guess it’s fine with me.”

Rose couldn’t believe that the other girls could be so forgiving. I really wish I’d given them a chance. Her heart ached at the thought. Maybe I could have been real friends with them.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door to the banquet hall opened, and Sylvia strolled in with a big smile on her face. Nick followed behind her.

“Good morning, my girls! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful breakfast!” Sylvia chirped. “I see that our little rosebud here is finally making amends for everything she’s done! How sweet! Warm feelings and hugs and puppy dogs all around, isn’t that right?”

She gazed at the unamused expressions on the girls and smirked. Everyone knew Rose wasn't fully to blame for the things she'd done.

“…Well, fine then. I suppose we can get down to business!” Sylvia tapped her cane on the floor, and the room began to spin. The decorated walls and tables piled high with food began to blur together around them as everything slowly lightened into a bright blue. The ground beneath their feet turned white and when reality finally stabilized they were standing in a very familiar place.

“The beach? We’re back here?” Kim looked around. They had returned to the beach, though not the inlet with the gazebo from the last challenge. No, this section of the beach was where they’d first arrived. The eight chairs still sat in a circle around the burnt out fire pit, and the stage still towered over them, and upon it sat the ornately decorated (tn: tacky) throne. It looked like the entire place had been preserved in time since that day.

Maybe it had.

“At least we’re still wearing our clothes,” Dani sighed, glancing down at her current outfit. The skirt she was wearing was a little short for her tastes, but it was better than the bikini she’d been crammed into. She made a mental note to have her laundry done before the next challenge, if she survived this one.

“That’s right!” Sylvia crowed. She and Nick were standing on the stage. Well, Nick was standing. She had taken his seat for her own, a sign of her hubris. “Welcome back! It all began here, after all, when eight of you arrived to serve your master!”

She waved her cane at the eight chairs.

“And by the end of today, eight of you will remain. And one…” She glanced at Nick and smirked. “Will know her place at the master’s feet, spending the rest of the season making up for her unworthiness to serve in his harem.”

Holly’s eyes widened and she licked her lips subconsciously. Half the girls wondered if she would even try.

Either way, Rose had no intention of squandering this opportunity. Even if she only had a day left, she was still going to fight her way. Do the best she could at the challenge, and win without having to become too much of a villain.

But if I don’t give up, that means I’ll be trying to actively eliminate someone, she recognized. Getting close to one of the girls and asking them to choose her was like saying she wanted their partner to lose. She wanted to do good, but she wasn’t a fool.

It’s just one more bad thing, she tried to convince herself. And it’s not even that bad! We’re all supposed to be trying to compete to get chosen. I’m just playing the same game as everyone else.

That reassurance let her hold her head up high. Sylvia’s eyes were shining with glee, glad to see that the blonde hadn’t given up yet. It’s so much more fun when the Auditionee fights to the end…

“Now then, let me explain to you the rules of your next challenge,” she declared, as a sealed pack of playing cards appeared in her hand. Dawn gasped as her dream from several nights ago came flashing back.

Sylvia narrowed her eyes, taking out the cards. “I call this next game… 52 Pickup: Expert Mode!”