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“I’ll be okay.” Her eyes softened as she investigated Stella’s concerned face. It felt nice for someone to worry about her.
Stretching out her legs, she nodded to a few women sprinkled throughout the yard. Tanya was arguing with Monica for the privilege of making a phone call. Avery ignored them and walked up to a still visibly shaken Elizabeth.
“Can I sit next to you?” she asked, pointing to the ground.
Elizabeth blinked at her words but just slid over without responding.
Avery plopped down without fanfare, staying silent as they watched the activity together. When they met for the first time, Avery hadn’t imagined she’d ever be sitting in quiet companionship with Elizabeth.
“Thanks.” Elizabeth broke the quiet around them.
“No problem,” Avery responded, relieved she didn’t have to fill the space with needless conversation. They might wake up on opposite sides later, but tonight they were bonded. They went through something together that was bigger than the dating show they were playing, and that meant something.
“I got overstimulated and have asthma. The loud noises and smoke overloaded my system, and I froze. I didn’t have my inhaler, so I ended up passing out. Thanks for dragging me out of there.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Avery mumbled, leaning to the side to get to her pocket. Freeing the marble, she handed it over to Elizabeth. She took it with shaky hands, wrapping an arm around Avery’s shoulder. The contact felt nice. “I get panic attacks,” Avery said, feeling the need to open up to her. “I’m glad you’re all right.” Avery gently rested her head against Elizabeth’s as they watched the crew finish checking things out.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I can’t wait to get back to bed. Wonder where they are putting us.”
“Let me go ask Monica.” Avery stood, waiting for the dizziness to dissipate before searching down the weary-looking woman.
“You gave us a scare,” Riley said, jogging beside her as Denver appeared on her other side.
“Glad to see you up and about.” Denver slapped her back.
Tanya must have successfully wrangled Monica's phone because she was crouched near a bush, mumbling something that Avery couldn’t make out with all the noise.
The words had no meaning to Avery as she continued to Monica. Once in front of her, she could see the stress radiating from Monica’s eyes.
Avery wanted to walk away, but a crowd had gathered behind her. She could hear Stella’s polite tone, requesting people to stand aside so she could get through before settling at Monica’s side.
Avery tried to make eye contact, but Stella wouldn’t look in her direction. Quinn settled towards the front, between the contestants and showrunners. She had a foot in both worlds, but her slumped shoulders showed she was just as exhausted as everyone.
“What the fuck happened in there?” Riley, the usually reserved, quiet one, raised her voice. A cacophony of agreement followed behind as the group pressed forward.
“Everyone, please. Calm down.” Monica held her hands up, trying to quiet the crowd. She turned to say something to Stella who shook her head, looking tired, but stepped forward to talk.
Stella took in the crowd in front of her. Faces twisted in terror, pain, and exhaustion. She was still shaking as her own adrenaline seeped out onto the driveway.
Monica wanted her to say a few words. The group trusted her, and she felt confident in her ability to bring the crowd down.
She purposefully tried not to look at Avery, but she may have well been the ocean trying to resist the moon’s pull. She gravitated towards her by some force she couldn’t see. Avery’s face was pinched in exhaustion, but she took comfort that it was searching her own.
For what? She couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, but she knew the answer she found would be the catalyst for whatever came next. The band around her heart loosened when she saw Avery’s shoulders relax.
Feeling confident in her abilities to appease the crowd, Stella sought the comfort of Avery’s gaze again and raised her hand. “Ladies, please, let me answer your questions one at a time.”
Camera operators were squeezing into the yard, capturing everyone’s reaction.
“Did you know this was going to happen?” Ocean yelled first, which was followed by mumbled agreement.
“No. I would have dressed differently last night if a Hunger Games-like event had been on the calendar.” She gestured to her mismatched shirt and wrinkled pants, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “This was an accident that started in a bedroom. Someone was smoking in an unoccupied room and, unfortunately, put their butt out in the trash can that had tissues. The most important thing is everybody got out okay, and the fire was contained to just one room, although there was a little smoke damage,” Stella said, finding her footing in the chaos.
“My dad’s a lawyer. You’ll be hearing from him,” Tanya added.
“Although that wasn’t a question, I’ll still address it. I need to remind you all that you signed a contract that can’t hold the show liable for any harm that comes to you,” Monica said, stepping in to answer that question. Stella wanted to cringe. The answer wasn’t a good one if the raised voices were any indication.
“What’s going to happen to us? Is the show still going on?” Echo asked defiantly.
