Last Girl Standing

At the top of the steep cobblestone hill sat an elegant mansion, unlike any in the area. A mansion as beautiful and large as this one would ordinarily be surrounded by an equally large fence, but this mansion was surrounded only by water. In the middle of an empty island, a fence was completely unnecessary, and would only block out the beautiful view of the ocean that could be seen from every window of the house.

The small black Audi drove up to the top of the hill, stopping at the mansion’s entrance. Jenna Staub stepped out of the car, as the driver pulled her bag from the trunk.

With her bag in hand, she walked up to the front door. A man in a black tailored suit pulled her bag from her hand.

“You’re to head to the back, miss.”

Smiling, Jenna nodded at the man. She turned on her heels, flipping her blonde hair behind her.

Even before she turned the mansion’s corner, she could hear the sound of the laughter coming from the backyard. She followed the noise to find just over a dozen girls lounging around a large pool.

“Another one's here!” A girl stood up from her spot by the pool, and made her way over to Jenna. She jumped onto Jenna, wrapping her arms around her.

When the girl let go of her grip around Jenna, she smiled. “I’m Kara.”

“Jenna.” The blonde stuck out her hand, shaking Kara’s.

Kara grabbed onto Jenna’s hand, pulling her towards the pool. The girls stopped at a large glass table, where several other girls sat.

“This is Jenna,” Kara said, “the last one to arrive.”

The girls looked up at her, smiling. Jenna smiled back, and moved her attention to the opposite side of the pool, where the show’s host, Tanisha, stood. The woman was chatting with someone, probably a producer.

Tanisha turned her attention to the girls. “Can I get everyone’s attention, please?”

Around Jenna, the girls continued with their chatter, clearly annoying the large host.

“Ladies, quiet!” Tanisha shouted, clapping her hands. “Line up on the red carpet please.”

The girls immediately went silent at Tanisha’s yelling. With shocked looks on their faces, they walked over to the red carpet and stood in a line, in no particular order.

“Welcome to Love Games.”

Tanisha smiled as she spoke, moving her gaze between each of the girls.

“I am Tanisha, and I am here to guide you through a series of dates and challenges that will separate the lovers from the fighters. Those you don’t make the cut will be eliminated. Before we get to the rules, I’d like to introduce the boys. Come out, gentlemen.”

Behind Tanisha, the mansion’s wide sliding doors began to open, revealing a tall, curly haired boy.
“Harry Styles,” Tanisha said, pointing in his direction.

The boy walked up to Tanisha, standing next to the large woman.

“Zayn Malik.” The dark haired boy waved, as he took his place next to Harry.

“Niall Horan.” A blonde boy stepped from behind the door, walking with his hands in his pockets.

“Louis Tomlinson.” The boy’s bright grin widened, as he walked over to the group.

“And last, but not least, Liam Payne.” The last boy stepped from behind the door, shutting it gently behind him. He nodded at Tanisha, as moved towards the group.

The boys stood in a line, parallel to the one the girls were in.

“Meet One Direction,” Tanisha smiled, “the extremely popular British boy band.”

The name sounded familiar, but Jenna couldn’t quite place it.

“Yes, this season of Love Games is full of surprises,” Tanisha said, a large grin on her face. “Now, I’m sure everyone would like to hear the rules.”

The girls all cheered, smiling and clapping.

Tanisha continued. “Each week, the boys will compete in a challenge to receive the title of Alpha Male. This title is very important, as the Alpha Male has many privileges and holds all the power in the house. The boy with the title of Alpha Male gets to choose which lovely lady each of the boys goes on a date with, and will receive special treatment on the date.”

Everyone began cheering again, bringing a smile to Jenna’s face.

Tanisha put her hands up. “The Alpha Male also has another very important power. He gets to pick which four girls go up for elimination, but that’s where his power ends. From there, the other four boys choose which girl ultimately goes home. This process will continue until there are only five girls left, one for each boy. These couples will then compete in the ultimate test of love, courage, and strength, for the grand prize.”

Each of the girls stiffened, clearly nervous at the thought of being eliminated.

Laughing, Tanisha flung her hands to her sides. “Loosen up everyone! The first challenge isn’t until after dinner, so now it’s time to mingle. I think I smell some barbeque.”

Jenna looked down the line, at the row of girls. Each of them had a smile on their face and eyes on the boys.

The competition had begun.