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What started out as a joke was now becoming a reality right before her eyes, Iris was the last contestant left to enter the lodge. She didn’t think she’d be nervous about it because it was all a joke, but now she was about to give up her autonomy to millions of people and have them decide if she’s worth any money or not. She has never been one to care about the opinions of other people or their perceptions of her, but now, pleasing millions was about to be her way of life, atleast for a few weeks
“Ms West, Ms West? Can you hear me? Say something so I can know your microphone is working properly, you are going to go out in 25 seconds, wait for my cue” The stage manager said without even looking at her
“Sure, I’m ready” Iris replied before the stage manager started counting down and she held her breath as she walked, she could feel the cameras on her.
[ ONE YEAR AGO]
“Good, I’m so glad you’re here, there’s this new crappy reality show, it started last week and it’s so good, you got to see it”, Linda said to her friend who just walked into the apartment as she walked to the living room with a bunch of snacks
Iris took off her jacket and put down her purse following her friend, “Uhm Linda, you haven’t seen me in 2 weeks and already you want me to watch one of your overly dramatic shows?”
“Oh please, you know this stuff is your guilty pleasure, come give me a hug “
Iris chuckled and gave her friend the warmest hug, “I’ve missed you so much babe, I swear I’m going to quit this job soon if they don’t stop sending me to these useless events to cover influencers and celebrity wannabes “
“Cumon now, I’m sure it’s fun, you get to do all those cute activities with them and get stuff for free”, she shoved a handful of skittles in her mouth, “Plus you’ve gained thousands of followers on Instagram just by hanging out with those girls “
“Linda Park!!!, I did not get my master’s degree in journalism just to gain followers, I want to do REAL Journalism”, She says frustrated while dipping her hand in a bag of chips.
“Shhh! You’ll complain later, it’s starting” Linda says, increasing the volume of the TV
[[ ''Good evening, I’m your host Laurel Lance and Welcome back to your brand-new favourite show where a bunch of strangers get to spend time in this beautiful lodge with no contact with the outside world. They will have to work in 2 teams, Girls versus Boys, it’s a battle of the sexes, many will fall along the way, fights will break, others may even fall in love, Drama y’all, Drama! They will compete as teams But ONLY one person will be left standing and leave with a cash prize of 45 thousand, with the help of YOUR votes. THIS IS NATURAL SELECTION” ]] there’s a loud bang followed by a catchy title sequence with all the contestants and then a recap of the previous episode’s moments
“WOW! That is just……. WOW” Iris says
“It’s freaking awesome right?? 2 people have already hooked up already, this is like Big Brother or Love Island but waaaaay better”, Linda says all excited, “Ugh the drama of it all”
Iris is still watching, intrigued but not too convinced about the premise of it all, “So you’re telling me there were no Black or Asian people they could find for this? Why are they all white?”
“Oh my God Iris, you can’t just ask people why they’re white” Linda bursts into laughter clearly amused by her own Mean Girls reference, she continues “Well there was a Black guy, his name was Scott, he was eliminated last week in a house vote”
“Wait, didn’t you say the show started Last week? They have already gotten rid of the one Black person without people even voting?, was he a dick or something?”
“Nah, he was actually a great guy, very hot and funny, the dick is this other one called Oliver. Ugh he’s just the worst and thinks he’s better than everyone, He’s also rich as fuck and has millions of followers, I don’t even know he is here, he doesn’t need the money. oh, there he is”, Linda points just as Oliver appears on the screen
“I don’t buy it, I’m sure they have already picked who will win, it’s probably going to be the Oliver guy, he has gotten at least five times the screen time than everyone else and he’s not even doing anything” Iris says, eyes fixed on the TV.
They watched the rest of the show with Iris analysing everything like the journalist she is.
“Yup, either Oliver or Ray is going to win, the storyline is so set in stone, anyone who can't see it is clearly blind. this little beef they have started is just their way to get attention because people love drama” Iris says getting up and picking up bags of chips and chips that were now on the floor.
“Iris please, it was entertaining, admit it, I can see you liked it” Linda says as she helped Iris clean up, “So do you think Felicity will choose Ray or Oliver?”
“I don’t really like the Oliver guy, but I can see her picking Oliver, he seems more like her type, Ray on the other hand may be her friend outside the lodge”
Linda grins as Iris finishes talking
“What?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, but for someone who seems to not like the show, you sure do have a lot of analysis about it, it’s almost like you were paying more attention than I was” Linda says, trying not to laugh
“Oh, fuck off! I'm a reporter, I'm curious by nature but FINE! you win, It’s an interesting show” Iris Finally admits.
“You know, if you really want to know they whole process, Because I KNOW you’re dying to know, you can always apply for season 2, it has already been renewed for three more seasons”, Linda explains when they are not in the kitchen, “ Plus, Most of the contestants they choose are influencers and other people with a large followings because they want ratings”
“ugh gross, capitalism”, Iris groans
“Yes, capitalism, you have more followers than some of these people and you are drop dead gorgeous, not to mention diversity honey, you don’t want them getting a minority who is just going to embarrass us all on TV now do you?”
Iris could tell that Linda was actually serious, “who are you and what have you done to my best friend? You are being for real about this aren’t you?”
“YUP! How about it Ms West? You want to challenge the establishment and show them how it’s done?”
Iris though about it, it was not really a bad idea, it could be her way of finding out how reality television works and maybe she could write a story about it and expose all the shadiness she’s certain takes place when the cameras are not rolling. This might just be her big break. She didn’t realize she had zoned out thinking until Linda brought her back
Iris? Iris! Hello?” Linda waved her hand in Iris’s face, “Hey, if you do this, I will never bother you about anything ever again, plus I will singlehandedly do all the chores for 5 months “
“DEAL!”, Iris says smiling
“Uhm, what? You tricked me! Oh, my God, you were going to do it anyway, ugh I can’t stand you”, Linda complains hitting Iris with whatever she could get her hands on as Iris ran to her room.
“Cumon Linda, let me be, it was your idea after all. I may have to get a gym membership because the only realistic thing about that show is the physical challenges, they actually look hardcore”, Iris says closing her door just as Linda’s slipper misses and hits the door.
“Fine! You win, but don’t forget I will be the one running all your social media accounts when you’re gone, who knows what I may or may not post”, Linda says chuckling a little bit.
[PRESENT DAY]
The barrier door opens, and Iris walks into the lodge. At first, she was stunned by how beautiful the place was, then came the dread when she saw the group that was scattered into little cliques chatting away oblivious of her presence. One of them saw her walking towards them and pointed, the group erupted into applause as most of them walked up to her to greet her with hugs. She was nervous that she would be at a disadvantage being the last one to enter as everyone had probably found a friend.
She felt relief when she saw a tall Black guy walk up to her, his name she learned was Diggle, she wasn’t sure if that was his first or last name because he never clarified. She felt a lot better knowing she wasn’t the only Black person there, despite her confidence, that was something she was worried about.
She thought she had said Hi to everyone until she saw him. They were outside and people were making so much noise but suddenly the place felt quiet. He had not been there when she arrived or had he? But now he was standing there frozen in his tracks watching her. His intense gaze burned her skin. How long had he been standing there? This was a situation where one might normally feel uncomfortable, but she wasn’t, she stood there and looked right back at him. It was like they were communicating with their eyes, neither one knowing what the other was saying but somehow all in agreement.
One of the girls who had greeted her first, Amanda? Aminat? Amunet? went and wrapped her arms around his neck whispering something into his ear. She could see his face flinch at the contact and just like that, the moment was over.
Iris walked to where Diggle and some girls, Layla? and Marlize? were sitting. She joined in on their conversation and laughed at their jokes about Martial arts. she felt comfortable here, these were her people, she liked this group.
Just as she smiled to herself, she heard Diggle call someone over. “Hey Allen, come meet my good sis Iris, she’s from Central City too”, she turned out to see the person being called and as fate would have it, it was the same guy she had a moment with earlier.
“Hi, I’m Barry, Barry Allen” He said awkwardly extending his hand and trying to avoid eye contact like he wasn't just staring right at those very same eyes earlier.
“Iris, Iris West”, she shook his hand and he immediately looked at her as he felt a jolt of electricity with the contact. They both quickly let go in shock both wondering if the other had felt what they felt.
Barry joined the group and kept stealing glances at her, but she caught him each time. They seemed to be the only ones feeling the awkwardness as the group continued the conversation talking about God knows what. Iris was trying to pay attention to her surroundings and figure out what's off, but with Barry there, she felt claustrophobic. Just being in the same room as him made her feel like her personal space was being invaded. how was she supposed to be Sherlock Holmes, An interesting influencer and Iris West at the same time?
Within a few minutes the Host of the show, Laurel Lance showed up reminding them of all the rules. The pleasant surprise of the night was when she mentioned that there would be no elimination until the following week, so they had a whole week to get to know each other. Everyone erupted into applause and Iris felt her whole body relax, although Diggle tried to hide it, he was relieved too.
Once Laurel had left, one of the producers, Caitlin? came out to give the contestants a heads up about how the cameras would work. She explained that just like in the waiver forms they signed, the producers have the right to switch on and off the cameras whenever they want. Contestants were always expected to have their microphones on except for when they’re in the bathroom, but if they went there with someone else, they were expected to keep them on.
This made Iris very uneasy because it meant the producers could manipulate footage and show what they want to show. She decided it was best to make peace with it since she was already there.
It was only day one, but people were acting like they had known each other for years. Iris needed to breathe for a second, so she stood up to go to the bathroom. On her way there, she saw Amanda? Aminat? Amunet? In a corner whispering with the producer, Caitlin and then they high-fived and giggled like school girls.
She didn't think she would spot something so big on the first day. whatever they were doing was wrong but doing is so openly made it even more wreckless, she though to herself.
“You would think they would be more discreet”, Barry said right behind Iris making her jump a little.
“You scared me!” she replied turning to face him and moving away from the sight that disturbed her.
“I’m sorry” He replied rubbing the back of his neck, “It just sucks seeing corruption happen right before your eyes”
Iris looks him up and down remembering he was with Amunet earlier and her guard suddenly jumps up again, His eyes on her earlier had made her feel at ease but now seeing who he associated with destroyed all trust she was starting to have . “hhmmm” is all she says before walking away and leaving him standing there wondering what he did wrong