by Laura Burton
“Quick,” Ronan shouts from behind me. I take the oily key and ram it into the lock.
“It’s so slimy,” I complain as my fingers struggle to get enough grip to turn the key.
“Melissa. Please.” Ronan’s voice is desperate now. I set my jaw and wipe the key on the only clean part of my bodice. Then I reinsert it and turn. The lock clicks and I push the gate forward. It squeaks as the door swings open and Ronan and I stumble out onto the gravel path.
Time is running out, and my hope is fading fast.
“Which way?” Ronan says in a breathy voice. I turn to look at him just as he pulls off his tight top and wipes the oil from his face from the underside of it. Dark patches of oil and grease cover his shoulders and defined muscles. He looks rugged and ridiculously handsome. But now is not the time to stare. We’re about to lose this game.
I look at the two paths ahead. One stretches to the right, the other continues straight. I close my eyes and try to remember the layout of the maze. The paths had been so windy it was impossible to keep a sense of direction.
“I think we go straight on,” I point ahead. Ronan doesn’t argue and bolts forward just as another drumbeat fills the air.
“One-minute remaining.”
One more minute to find the center. I curl my hands into fists and follow Ronan down the path. It bends to the left then twists back to the right. We’re not thinking about traps anymore. All sense of reason has left our heads as we focus on the one thing that matters. Finding the centre of the maze.
“I see it, I see it.” Ronan bolts round the corner and I follow hot on his heels. A tall water fountain sparkles in the sunshine. It’s a beautiful sight. We’re grinning ear to ear as we make a beeline for it, a rising sense of achievement takes over my whole body.
Then Ronan stops and yanks me back.
“Ronan what are you––” I say, then I notice the line of fire blocking the entrance. Ronan looks at me with devastation.
“What are you waiting for? We can run through that.” I say, taking two steps. Ronan shakes his head and points at my oil-soaked clothes.
“We’ll light up like a Christmas tree. There’s gasoline on us, remember?”
“Thirty seconds remaining.”
I gasp as a sickly sensation rises from my stomach.
“Ronan, we can’t stop now. Think about your mum. We have to do this.” I try to reason, but he shakes his head.
“Look,” I point out, he follows my line of sight. “The fountain. We’ll make a run for it.”
Ronan looks at me in shock.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” He asks, breathless. I give him a resolute look. Decided. Ronan’s mum will get that treatment, even if it kills me. We can’t give up now. Not when we’re this close.
Ronan stoops down and picks me up in his arms.
“I’ll carry you,” he says valiantly as he runs. The timer begins the ten-second countdown, but my ears forbid to take it in. As we approach the line of fire, I close my eyes and brace myself to become engulfed in flames. Ronan cries out and charges forward. A terrible heat rises from our feet, and I imagine flames licking every crevice of his beautiful body. I’m just about to open my eyes when Ronan’s hands give way and the two of us crash into ice cold water. I find my feet and stand up, breaking through the surface and take a grateful gulp of air.
“Congratulations, you have successfully completed the garden maze challenge,” the official voice booms. I look at Ronan who shakes his body like a wet dog and emits a spray of water over me. His upper body is blotchy and pink, but there’s no sign of any serious damage. He looks at me with triumph and wraps his arms around my waist.
“You are something special, Melissa Jones,” he says in his deep voice. Then he bends me backwards as I grasp his forearms to keep balance. And he kisses me with so much passion, I can’t help but wonder if we are still on fire.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It turns out that they laced our clothes with flame retardant. Ronan had to sit through a twenty-minute long telling off from Julian for removing his shirt––which apparently was against health and safety. But, as we didn’t break any actual rules, and we made it to the fountain before the timer ran out, we made it to the live eviction.
“We’re having to adjust our filming schedule because channel ten have cancelled our contract,” Jewel explains, after she urges us to shower and go back to hair and makeup. “Usually, we have three weeks, but they want this over in two to make way for some zombie show.”
Ronan and I sit shivering in blankets as we nod along.
“Get ready, then meet me in the main hall. We’ll make it quick so you can have dinner straight after.”
Dinner. Breakfast feels so long ago and my stomach feels hollow.
Ronan and I part ways to get ready. A commotion down the hall alerts my attention, and I find two women sobbing into their hands while Ruth stands aside, rolling her eyes.
“How was I supposed to do that, anyway? Don’t they realise I have a phobia of snakes!” the ginger girl burst out in fury.
“I can’t believe we have to go home now. I just can’t believe it’s over,” said the other woman. I sidle past and creep along the hall to head for a nice hot shower. Even though my heart goes out to them, nothing can stop the broad grin invading my face. That’s at least two couples we need not worry about anymore.
I’m sure Tyrone and Jody will make it through. They look like a powerful, fearless couple, and Jody had said in the changing room that she was developing feelings for Tyrone. Definitely one to watch. None of the other couples stand out to me. Not that I’ve been paying attention to anyone other than Ronan.
My arms are trembling as I step out of the shower and wrap the large towel around myself. The cold Scottish air prickles my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I long to wear a pair of thick leggings with an oversized jumper and snuggle up on a cough with Ronan. Maybe grab a few burgers and watch a movie.
As I walk into the ladies changing area, Ruth looks up from a clothes rail and gives me a cheeky grin. Her expression reminds me of Elsie when she has a juicy bit of gossip to divulge.
“Only four couples made it through,” she says, looking at me as if I’m her new best friend. I try––and fail––to hide the confusion on my face. How has everyone played the maze challenge already? Then I discover there are actually three mazes and like a perfectly oiled system, Jewel performs the opening scene and marches on to the next maze to introduce another couple.
You can’t fault them for efficiency.
“You’re wearing this for the live eviction,” Ruth says, pulling me out of my head. She holds up a long sequin gown which looks far too small for me.
“It has a beautiful mermaid tail to accentuate your gorgeous figure,” she adds. I study the dress and––with relief––find that it does not actually have a mermaid’s tail.
Ruth helps me into the dress, and it fits like a glove. I look down and smooth out the sequence at my thighs, marvelling at the rainbow sheen. The dark material is a heavy contrast to my milky skin tone, I worry it looks too dramatic. But Ruth sets to work on my hair, unaware of my concerns.
“So what do you think about the changes?” I ask Ruth innocently. She tugs at my hair as she fastens it into another braid.
“It’s the last chance saloon,” she says with a heavy sigh.
“Sorry, the what?” I ask, not familiar with the phrase.
“The Ratings have been low. They’re trying everything to bring in new viewers. Sad we have to rush it though. But that is showbusiness.”
I chew the inside of my cheek as Ruth continues to work on my hair in silence. So, the Love Trials is in trouble. I wonder if Ruth knows that Ronan is Jewel’s nephew, and just how far Jewel will go to help her sister. If we get enough votes to make it to the next round, I dread to imagine what the final challenge will be. Swimming with sharks?
Ruth applies the boldest shade of purple lipstick I’ve
ever seen.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask, pointing to my purple lips. Ruth nods with a beaming smile.
“Oh yes. We want to make you stand out tonight.”
It feels like Ruth is on my side. Has Jewel asked her to favour me? Man, now I’m just paranoid. I look around at everyone with suspicion. Nothing is what it seems. Hidden agendas are at play here and goodness knows what other revelations will come out. I laugh derisively to myself at how naïve I was to come here. I thought it would be a fun experience. Staying in a creaky old castle, chilling out by the pool and taking part in some fun games. All while making lifelong friends and maybe walk out with a sexy man on my arm.
Well, I have the sexy man. But said man comes with some heavy baggage in the form of a sick mum and massive financial commitments. Not that I’m easy. Being a foster kid with no family connections and a sceptical view on life, I’m hard to love. Or so I’m told.
It’s not that I haven’t loved before. There were guys. But they always left. Some of them I pushed away. I know that now. But it’s hard to open up and fall in love when you’re rejected time and time again.
I realise I’ve been walking to the main hall on autopilot while deep in my thoughts. My shoes pinch my toes and I can hardly breathe in this dress as I push through the wooden doors and walk inside. The stage is set and the usual camera people stand around adjusting the lighting as the few remaining couples stand on their marks. Ronan flashes his teeth at me as I approach him. His dark shirt bulges on the arms and hardly buttons across his broad chest. Not even a speck of oil adorns his perfectly groomed features and a fresh scent of sandalwood washes over me as I join him on our mark. I look around to see Tyrone and Jody standing arm in arm far off.
This is it.
“We only filmed our challenge this afternoon, how are we managing a live eviction?” I ask Ronan. He bows his head to murmur into my ear.
“Notice how stressed out Julian is? The team have been working round the clock. They’re airing the challenge right now and the lines are open while the viewers watch.”
Jewel claps her delicate hands, and we fall silent.
“In a few moments, we’ll go live to our audience. Please, can I remind you all not to shout or scream?” Her eyes dart to mine and I offer a guilty smile back.
“Three couples will be in the final, so we’re just losing one of you tonight.”
I exhale with relief. Ronan and I won the most votes last week. We’re going through to the—
“Wait! The finale? We’re not doing another challenge after this?” I blurt out. Jewel shoots me a look to kill.
“That’s right. We’re forgoing one challenge as we will record one less episode.” Her nostrils flare at me as if to dare me to ask any more questions.
“Get ready,” Julian warns, eyeing his laptop. He raises a hand.
“Three, two—”
Jewel takes her position and beams at the cameras.
“Welcome back. Now we’ve seen which couples successfully completed the maze and who went home in tears. I can confirm the lines are now closed. Please do not call, your vote will not be counted but you may still be charged.” Jewel winks as she pauses. “In a few moments, we will find out who is going through to the finale and who is going home, right now.”
The finale is the wedding. They’ll ask us to write vows and share them live on TV. Then the viewers will vote the couple they loved the most and they will be crowned King and Queen of the Love Trials and win the prize money. The end is so close, I can almost see it.
“I can confirm the votes have been counted and verified.” Jewel sounds official and serious. “And the first couple is… Tyrone and Jody.”
Not a surprise. So, we’ll be competing against them to the bitter end. Jody smiles bashfully and waves at the camera with fake humility. Tyrone kisses her gently on the forehead.
“Thank you so much,” he says.
Jewel clears her throat.
“The second couple through to the finale is… Katie and John.”
My stomach flips as Katie and John wave and smile at the camera.
“Now, it’s between Sophie and Mark, and Melissa and Ronan.” Jewel pauses and I swear I can hear the tension music thumping in my ears. I squeeze Ronan’s hand for comfort. He squeezes back.
We’re going through. We have to. Jewel hesitates, and her smile slips a little before she speaks.
“The final couple through to the final of the Love Trials is Sophie and Mark.” Her words sound less enthusiastic, though her smile is back on top form. “Congratulations you two.”
I cannot feel my arms as my ears ring. Jewel turns to us and Ronan walks to the stage.
“Come and sit down,” Jewel says, pointing at the loser chairs on the stage. Great. Before we can even take time to process this turn of events, we have to give a live interview.
“After winning the most votes last week, I’m surprised to see you sitting here.” As if I didn’t already sense a knife in my heart, Jewel twists it even deeper.
“I’m not sure what happened,” I say, glancing at Ronan. He looks ahead with a small smile planted on his face, immobile and pale.
I do most of the talking during the interview and thankfully, Jewel keeps it short. But the last question stings.
“At the end of the maze, you mentioned Ronan’s mum. Can you explain what was going through you mind at the time?”
Jewel looks at me with piercing eyes and the spotlights shine even brighter as they focus on me. Ronan remains quiet and still. He’s in too much shock to take any of this in. I look down at my lap and fiddle with the sequins on my dress.
“We would have used the prize money for Ronan’s mother’s medical care.” I take a quick breath, unable to look up. “I guess, I was just thinking we had come so far, and I wanted to help Ronan’s mum. Whatever the cost.”
Jewel’s voice waivers as she responds.
“Well that, ladies and gentlemen is true love.”
There is a heavy pause and I look up to find the lights directed back onto Jewel as she dabs her eyes with a handkerchief and turns to the cameras.
“Just one more thing to do. Melissa. Ronan. Please tell our viewers, is your love real? Or having you been faking it?”
I glance at Ronan, who does not meet my eyes. Then I turn back to Jewel and we answer at the same time.
“Real.”
“Fake.”
I turn back to Ronan again in shock and a babble of voices fill the air. I thought after everything we had been through, he would agree that what we have is real. Maybe it was fake at the beginning, but now, there’s no denying it, right?
“Well, that is a surprise,” Jewel says brightly, shifting in her seat. “Ronan can you explain why you gave different answers?”
Ronan shakes his head as his eyes look down.
“We pretended to be a couple, what more is there to say?” he mutters to his shoes. I open and close my mouth like a fish out of water and stare at Jewel for help. Her eyes narrow on me.
“If you were pretending, why did you say it was real, Melissa?”
I look from Jewel to Ronan, to the cameras, back to Jewel and raise my hands in the air.
“He’s right. A week ago, we were strangers. And we pretended to be in love. But as we spent more time together, I thought our feelings became more than just an act.” I stop talking and wring my hands, trying to ignore the imposing cameras that are catching my every move. Jewel takes pity on me and wraps up the show with her usual spiel. Then the spotlights fade and before I can turn to Ronan, he’s up on his feet and strides away without another word.
“Ronan,” Jewel shouts, tears rolling down her cheeks. “What are we going to do?” She dashes off the stage, picking up her skirt in one hand, and I sit frozen on the chair as the hall clears of people.
We lost. Ronan’s mum will die, and Ronan doesn’t love me.
Well… great.
Chapter Twenty-Four
After a long ti
me alone in the hall, the feeling in my arms return and I get up and move on autopilot. My brain is frozen in space and time and I do not look at anyone nor take in my surroundings. I have one mission and one mission only: get the heck out of this castle and go home.
I throw everything into my bag, yank on a pair of jeggings and baggy top. It’s a small comfort to be in my normal clothes again. I stare at the unworn dresses laying abandoned in my bag before I zip it shut. Then I lay out the sequin dress on the chair I had slept in.
My heels clap on the stone floors like horseshoes as I canter down the corridor and reach the main doors. I don’t care if the bodyguards try to stop me. The mood I’m in, I’ll take them down with just one swing. In fact, I will welcome anyone to dare challenge me. Humiliation begins to set in, as the thought of the entire Nation watching my exit interview on TV crosses my mind. I’ll probably never live this down, but right now I just need to get in my car and drive.
And that’s exactly what I do.
I roll up to my usual parking spot and stop the engine. The sky is a lighter shade of navy and a few crazy birds decide now is the perfect time to sing. I drag my aching limbs out of the car, slam the door shut and ram my keys into the door to my apartment.
Before I turn the key, the door opens and I fall forwards into Elsie’s arms.
“Melissa, why didn’t you pick up your phone? Did you drive all the way back?”
I mentally kick myself for not getting my phone back from Julian. But the thought passes and tiredness takes hold.
I rest my head on Elsie’s shoulder and let my eyes close with a smile as she rants into my hair.
“It’s four-in-the-morning, have you lost your mind?”