a box of polaroids,

“isla kensington—not quite, easy mistake to make, to be sure, but reese is my twin. if i’m being entirely honest, i haven’t watched much reality tv, but i do like interesting stories, so i’m sure i won’t be bored here! as for love or the money, i suppose that depends on who else ends up in the house, don’t you think?”

…

“ That’s a beautiful name, ” she smiled, feeling at ease with Isla already. Too trusting, maybe, but there was something about her that didn’t seem as threatening as some of the others. “ Not yet. I hope they’re nice. ” They scrunched their nose slightly at the thought of having to deal with someone that may want to do with them ; or worse, just downright mean. “ I haven’t talked to many people yet. Have you met yours? ”

.

“thank you,” she smiles warmly, and has to resist the urge to laugh at the way the other’s nose scrunches at what isla imagines must be the thought of an unpleasant roommate. “hopefully! if not, the sun loungers look pretty comfortable,” it’s an attempt at a joke, her gaze shifting pointedly to a row of sun loungers set up around the pool. “or the couch in the living room. it’s huge.” probably so as to fit more of them on it, she guesses, thinking back to the previous season. “i haven’t, no. i’ll probably go on the lookout for them a bit later.” it would be helpful to speak with them a bit before having to address the possibility of sharing a bed. 

open starter

lennox walked into her room and shuddered. minor flashbacks of college life came back to her while she rummaged through her things. she took out her guitar and sat on her bed while strumming a little. she was already having regrets about being there, but there was no going back now. humming while she played the strings gently, she stopped when she realized there was someone standing in the open doorway. “uh, hello? are you gonna continue staring or are you going to introduce yourself?”

.

isla wasn’t the best with directions or new places. she was a creature of habit and had a tendency to get lost in unfamiliar places. like at the moment, in which she wasn’t quite lost, but she apparently wasn’t in the right room either. having been looking for her sister, she pokes her head into what she could’ve sworn was her room, and is met with an unfamiliar figure holding a guitar. “i apologize, i clearly have the wrong room,” she’s quick to offer up, an apologetic smile on her lips. “i’m isla, though. have you recently arrived?”

“I think I’m tired enough to sleep well, as long as I don’t get too caught up in wondering how tomorrow’s gonna be.” She could use a long night in bed, for sure. “I’m sure I will. A bit of change is good for the soul, isn’t it?” She shrugged, more excited for the new possibilities than scared of the lack of familiarity. That reaction was highlighted by the mention to the haunted hotel. “I mean, the only thing we’re missing here is a supernatural element to make this show really, really wild. As long as the ghosts behave.” She joins the joke, energized by the idea of adventure. “They might be good rommates, who knows?”

.

isla hums in agreement, historically the type to be early to bed and early to rise. especially given that she’d had a glass or two of wine, which had a tendency to add to any underlying sleepiness. laughing lightly at the thought of having a ghost for a roommate, she considers the (im?)possibility. “they probably wouldn’t fight for a spot in the bed...but i’ve heard of them tugging at blankets, which would be a bit of a bother.” 

“  as  long  as  he  doesn’t  get  the  impression  that  i’ll  be  climbing  him  .  you  give  a  man  like  that  an  inch  and  he  takes  a  mile  ,  “  her  hatred  was  most  certainly  unwarranted  and  quite  harsh  but  it  felt  so  right  ,  nothing  made  her  happy  than  being  absolutely  awful  about  some  unsuspecting  man  in  the  vicinity  .  cameron  being  a  hedonist  only  added  a  layer  of  self  -  inflicted  repulsion  to  her  .  with  a  short  sniff  ,  her  nails  tapping  on  a  glass  that  she  picked  up  containing  a  bright  pink  drink  ,  she  decidedly  states  .  “  well  ,  here’s  to  us  and  surviving  this  …  place  ,  “  whether  she  would  come  around  was  the  great  perhaps  but  for  now  ,  she  was  here  and  it  was  proving  to  be  all  she  had  expected  .  

.

reese’s comment is unsurprising, but brings about a short laugh nonetheless. she hopes her sister’s roommate ends up being decent; not because she doesn’t have full faith that reese could handle him, but because she’s aware that there are few who piss her off and don’t quickly regret it. reese was a force to be reckoned with, and isla was often amazed at the confident way in which her sister handled herself, grateful to be tied to her. lifting a glass of her own, she tilts it toward reese’s, saying with a smile, “to us.” she takes a sip before shifting, placing a quick kiss on her sister’s cheek. “i’ll see you in the morning for a catch up.”

…

“ I’ll take that. Could be so much worse. ” Better to be known as the dad jokes guy than the jackass ; at least, if you asked him. Some may disagree. With a laugh, he nodded. “ Isla, ” he repeated, tapping his head. Spencer had read all of the introductions, trying to get a read on who he was dealing with, but now that they were meeting he was still trying to match everyone’s names and faces and backstories — it was a lot to remember all at once. “ You came here with your sister, yeah? Or am I completely off base? ”

.

placing her forefinger on her chin in thought, darcy hummed as though she didn’t already have an answer for this. “well, ‘darcy moore wants more’ is my podcast, so maybe something cheesy like “even more of darcy moore.” grabbing the next card, darcy paused. this one was very pointed. personally, darcy would probably tell a white lie if she was asked this - but perhaps this woman had nothing to hide. “what is a story people tell about you that isn’t true, but you don’t correct.”

.

isla smiles slightly at the response. a play on words was always a good way to capture people’s attentions. “i like it,” she chimes in, a small nod of approval. letting out a thoughtful hum, she shifts slightly before settling on her response. “that i was top of my program in university,” she admits. it wasn’t as if she’d written it on job applications or ever told the story herself, it was just something her parents liked to drop into dinner conversations. her parent’s didn’t entirely understand her career, but they knew how to spin something to sound more desirable. “mandatory gym gen ed brought my gpa down a bit my freshman year, so top spot went to an incredibly deserving classmate,” isla smiles. she was still in touch with hiari, and there was absolutely no ill will between them. reaching out to grab another card, she asks, “what's one thing you'll never do again?”

he   had   been   standing   there   for   god   knows   how   long,   freezing   as   he   stared   into   the   open   fridge—   patiently   waiting   for   the   presence   of   the   another   person   to   enact   something   stupid   for   the   cameras   but   should   be   enough   as   an   icebreaker,   too.    and   finally,   bodhi   grinned   as   soon   as   he   heard   someone   step   into   the   kitchen,   3…   2…   1…    “   morning   !   ”    he   turned   around   with   a   can   of    the   show’s   sponsored   energy   drink,   greeting   the   other   with   a   smile.    he   took   a   sip,   sigh   of   satisfaction   quickly   slipping   past   his   lips.      “   wow,   i   don’t   think   i   can   ever   live   without   this   BANG   ENERGY   top   of   the  morning   to   give   me   the   zest   i   need   for   the   rest   of   the   day   !    ”    enthusiasm   had   always   been   natural   to   him,   though   the   perceptive   ones   might   find   this   a   little   rehearsed.    “   what’s   your   morning   routine   like   ?   ” 

.

isla loved mornings. she loved waking up a few hours before anything was expected of her, spending her time catching up on the news, sipping her tea, and doing a bit of journaling or reading. oddly enough, the house had seemed quite quiet this morning, so she hadn’t really strayed much from her usual routine until now. instead of her rather small but cozy kitchen back home, she ventures into the large and visibly new space that the house has to offer. she misses the other person at first, only really becoming aware of their presence when they let out a bright morning! isla’s eyes widen slightly at the stranger’s speech (because surely this was just product placement, right?) as she places her empty tea cup down on the counter, trying to process his energy. “toast?” her answer to his question comes out as a question of its own, and she shakes her head, cheeks slightly flushed in embarassment. “for breakfast, i mean. do you always start your days with energy drinks?” her head tilts slightly in interest, half-wondering if there will be another performance in response. 

…

They nodded, liking the way she looked at it. It had probably been part of the reason she’d applied, though really, she couldn’t remember what was going through her head in that moment. They needed a break. They needed to log out of their social media accounts and just breathe. It was so… consuming, worrying what people thought, what they were going to say. Maybe a reality television show wasn’t the best place to run to avoid that, but she was here now. “ I can consider it… my first non-family vacation. ” She smiled. “ It’s nice to meet you, by the way. I didn’t mean to start rambling and skip the whole introduction part. ”

.

isla smiles, waving away the other’s comment. “it’s no bother, i can be a bit of a rambler myself sometimes,” she says with a reassuring smile. “it’s nice to meet you as well. i’m isla.” the pool party is still rather lively around them, although they’re thankfully somewhat sheltered from the noise where they’re currently positioned. taking a sip of her wine, she briefly observes the scene before turning her attention back to the other. “have you met your roommate yet?” isla asks curiously.

.

Elle casually looked around the room, knowing she was right because she’d seen them with her own eyes, but just as quickly as the concern was there, it was gone. It wasn’t her problem as long as this deal worked and she knew what Elle preferred. Which it seemed like she did. At her words, the blonde’s lips spread into a wide grin as she crossed over to stand near her. “Excellent. This is incredible.” There were a lot of things she wouldn’t do but cooking was near the top of the list. Obviously cleaning was up there but she had to imagine there were plenty of ways to get out of that. All of her energy was going to be put towards the challenges before anything else ( well almost anything ). “I owe you so much for this.”

.

now would probably have been the time for isla to propose something in turn. in the back of her head, she’s aware that’s probably the kind of thing it would take to move ahead in the show, and yet...she really didn’t mind cooking an extra portion (or two, including reese, of course). hell, if she’d been able to find an amateur cooking show with similar no contact rules, she might have ended up there instead. “i don’t mind, i quite like to cook.” a thought comes to mind, a slight grin tugging at her lips. “besides, the cooking’s televised, isn’t it? it’ll probably not be quite as interesting as watching someone set the oven on fire, but,” she trails off, amused at the thought. 

.

Devi nodded enthusiastically at that. If the whole thing had been a show? If she’d been able to keep up the act for that long and then blindside them? That was pathological and deserved an award…or some kind of therapy and observation. “You know, she was a personal assistant before maybe she went into the industry?” It did seem like that performance could open doors if that was the goal. Echoing her smile, Devi laughed softly. “I like that. Nice to compete against you. If I’m honest with you, Isla, I don’t know how far I’m gonna get in this but I’m gonna try my best.”

.

isla hums at the possibility, giving a thoughtful nod at the other’s words. “with the show on her resume and that occupational background, it’d certainly help.” devi seems like good company, their conversation thus far engaging. it’s also nice to hear someone echo her own thoughts in regards to making it far in this game, and although isla knows strategy is supposed to be part of the ‘show’, it’s just not in her nature. “i’m glad i’m not the only one,” she admits, flashing the other an understanding smile. “i don’t quite see myself in the hall of fame, but i figure i might as well enjoy it while it lasts.”

@jcshliloan​

in  classic  reese  fashion  ,  negativity  her  next  natural  state  beside  chaotic  :  “  met  him  ?  i  don’t  need  to  meet  him  to  know  exactly  what  he  is  ,  “  some  sort  of  lothario  she  quickly  assumed  ,  a  hedonist  who  was  up  to  no  good  and  thought  that  he  was  something  special  .  his  introduction  had  done  him  no  favours  in  her  eyes  ,  pulling  apart  his  character  based  on  the  few  sentences  that  he  chose  to  present  to  the  world  .  he  hadn’t  committed  any  crime  but  she  instantly  felt  that  she  had  been  dealt  a  bad  hand  ,  wondering  what  exactly  cameron  was  going  to  be  good  at  that  would  aid  her  in  any  challenge  .  “  if  he  makes  me  lose  whatever  comes  next  then  this  might  turn  into  worlds  deadliest  women  ,  “  with  a  look  of  disgust  .  

.

his  steps  are  fluid  ,  the  motions  of  his  body  reacting  to  the  music  ,  the  beat  really  was  alive  -  and  it  was  within  him  !  his  mother  had  been  a  more  classical  type  of  dancer  but  so  often  he  had  followed  in  her  footsteps  ,  perfect  synchronisation  and  a  freedom  .  when  the  wild  within  you  wanted  to  break  free  ,  it  was  more  appropriate  for  the  dance  floor  than  any  day  to  day  life  decisions  ,  his  hand  rakes  through  his  hair  ,  the  grin  ever  present  ,  “  practice  makes  perfect  ,  principessa  ,  “  he  teases  ,  eyes  alight  and  alive  just  like  the  energy  that  was  around  them  ,  the  atmosphere  buzzing  and  his  need  for  attention  almost  dulling  out  with  the  realisation  the  entire  world  would  see  him  now  .  “  what  do  you  class  as  a  piece  of  poor  music  ?  you  must  have  taste  ,  a  girl  like  you  ,  “  he’s  still  teasing  but  he’s  interested  ,  moving  faster  with  the  beat  ,  moving  closer  momentarily  before  rotating  around  her  ,  dancing  away  as  he  awaits  the  answer  .

.

growing up, isla had often felt like she was on the outskirts of everything, left watching the world and its people go by just out of reach. reese had been her anchor, or perhaps it was more accurate to say her spot, so similar to the term used in ballet to describe the strategy that allowed a ballerina to maintain their balance and direction. oddly enough, in this moment, it’s easy to forget that feeling, easy to forget the fact that she’s on camera for the world (and her parents) to see. isla lets out a laugh at his teasing, spinning as he rotates, gaze following him as she thinks over his question. the music isn’t terribly loud, but it does require her to speak at a volume she hardly uses, the blonde raised to be primarily soft spoken. “music that doesn’t have anything to say,” she answers, not quite a yell, but loud enough for him to hear. it’s what her father would call a flowery answer, but it’s the truth. “i can’t stand when you can’t tell the difference between one song and the next.” isla was interested in the world, its history and objects, its people, its languages, its music. she was interested in stories, stories that music could have such a large role in sharing, but not when you could tell they were just rapidly produced for money and nothing more. even the music that was playing now, not quite her preferred genre, was able to make you feel something.

…

“ Well, if there is anywhere to teach me to stop underestimating people… ” Spence trailed off. It was true that he could be a bit naïve, and even while having seen the first season and knowing that a lot of his fellow contestants would turn out to be backstabbers, he didn’t have it in him to just… not trust them until given a reason not to. It didn’t seem fair to assume anyone was out to get him when they could’ve been there for all the right reasons. Even the producers. “ Fuck, you’re right. It’ll be in my montage once they boot me. So long Spence, the absolute weirdo. ”

.

“oh, i wouldn’t go that far,” isla says with mock seriousness, voice controlled. “i bet they’d focus on the cheesy jokes angle instead. maybe spin it as dad jokes?” literal dad jokes were a foreign concept in the kensington household, but their driver had told enough of them that she’d grown somewhat familiar. “so, spence is it?” she asks, picking up on the name, a momentary change of subject. isla’s preparation for the show had began and ended with watching the first season, no time spent trying to get to know her fellow contestants. she’s sure there are others in here who did their homework in that regard, but she’d tried to come into it unbiased. “i’m isla.”

it had been years since darcy played poker, and rarely did she leave with her money and dignity. “don’t fret, it’s too late in the evening for poker,” she said, shuffling her deck of question cards and surveying the girl. she looked sweet. that would help her in this game. “its just get to know you cards, i feel like it helps to break the ice given we’ll all be living on top of each other.” she passed the deck to the girl as a peace offering. “how about you pick one for me first? no question is off limits.”

.

the blonde would take ice breakers over poker any day. “that sounds interesting.” taking the deck from the other’s hands, she smiles lightly before beginning to shuffle through them. some of the questions are more casual than others, and after reading two or three, she settles on one that seems like a good middle ground. “alright, how about,” she trails off, “what would the title of your autobiography be?” glancing over at the other, she places the current card at the very top, question-side up. 

"this one's tricky. i wouldn't have entered if reese hadn't, but at the same time, there's other benefits to being here. so perhaps it's easiest to say that she's the main reason, but not the only one."