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~Haven~
“Go,” the crew guy whispers, and I step out into the main room. I scan the room, looking for a familiar face, but the only one I see is Derek, which doesn’t help at all. I’m a little relieved that the alphas are gone; it seems like it might be easier to do this in stages than to be thrust into the middle of everything all at once.
“Let me introduce our newest addition,” the host says in a bright voice, holding out his hand for me to take.
I put my hand in his, and immediately regret it. His hand is slimy with sweat, and there’s something inside me that recoils. I don’t know what it is about him, but I don’t get a good vibe. I don’t want anything to do with him. I snatch my arm away as fast as I can and clasp it with my other hand, behind my back.
“We’re so excited to introduce you all to Haven, the newest omega to joinOmega Girls,” the host says smoothly. His eyes glint as if he knows what I’m thinking. Does he? Mages aren’t uncommon in San Francisco. Having the ability to read minds would come in very handy on a reality show, I imagine.
“Another omega? Right before the finale? The fuck is this?” the dark-haired omega yells out of nowhere.
“Cut!” someone shouts from the producer corner. The producer from earlier, the one they called Jenn, steps out, eyes narrowed at the dark-haired girl. “Beatrice.”
“I know,” she says with a sigh. “But you have to admit—”
“No,” Jenn says sharply. “Keep your mouth shut. We’ve talked about this. You’re over the line.”
Beatrice presses her lips together and nods, turning her neck submissively, though her eyes are still snapping with anger.
Jenn looks around, her light green eyes narrowed as she stares at the other omegas. “Anyone else got anything to say?”
Some of the omegas shake their heads, some move their eyes to the floor. No one says a word.
“You had to know we were going to have a surprise. We bring it to you every fucking season. This is Haven, she’s an omega and a cast member. You’ll treat her with respect or you’ll answer to me, got it?”
“Yes, Jenn,” the omegas say diligently.
“Ok then,” Jenn nods to Willard. “Back to it.”
Willard smiles broadly as he turns back to the camera. Jenn steps out of sight and yells, “Action!” and Willard jumps right back into my introduction like nothing happened.
“We’re so excited to introduce you to Haven. Haven will be joining us for the rest of the season. Haven, would you like to say anything?”
I swallow the lump in my throat and look from one face to another, seeing only cold, shining resentment reflected back. “Um, hi there. I’m… Haven.” I glance at Willard, who offers me an encouraging smile. “Um, and I’m excited to be here with all of you.”
Beatrice snorts, and I can feel my face getting red. My eyes go straight to the camera lens, even though I can hear Arlo’s voice in my head telling me not to look.
“Ok then,” Willard says easily. “That’s it for tonight, omegas. As I understand it, some of you have dates tomorrow. I imagine you’ll have some confessional work to do before you hit the sack. Best of luck with your packs tomorrow.”
“Cut! All right, omegas, that’s it,” Jenn calls.
“Back to the dorm now,” Beatrice says. “Randy, you gonna do my nails?”
The male omega laughs, flipping his dark hair over his brow. “Girl, more like you’re going to do mine.”
They start toward the staircase. I linger in the background, unsure of what to do.
“Go with them, Haven,” Derek calls from the background.
Right. Ok. This is where I live now. My heart is heavy as I follow the other omegas up the stairs toward their rooms. I miss Arlo and Reese. I want to be back in our little failure flat together; we never even got to sleep in the same bed. Catching my own thoughts, I square my shoulders and push the melancholy away. Reese and Arlo are in the past. I have an opportunity here, and I’m going to take it seriously.
Not that I have much of a choice.
Upstairs and through a set of double doors is a massive suite, clearly set up for the reality show. There are more cameras up here, some held by people and some hung in the upper corners of the rooms. The space is open and impressive, everything is white from the curtains to the painted wooden floors. The main room has a large kitchen with an island that opens up to a bright living space, complete with a crescent-shaped sofa in tufted white leather.
Hanging on the wall is a giant chalkboard, and I stop for a moment, surprised to see portraits of all the omegas and packs carefully illustrated there.
“Pretty good, right?” says a girl with dark skin, honey-colored hair and a nose piercing, taking a bite of an apple. She points the fruit at the chalkboard. “Beatrice did it.”
