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That night, the first big event of the season had been announced and was to take place in the plaza, the central meeting place, and not coincidentally where the bar was located. Before Odelia had left for Thailand she’d watched a couple of episodes of the show’s previous season, conveniently taped by her grandmother, and it struck her that a lot of the ‘action’ appeared to take place in that very same plaza.

So it was with a slight sense of trepidation that she slid into the little black dress she’d selected for the occasion, slipped her feet into a pair of heels, and checked her reflection in the mirror. She’d applied minimal makeup, and her hair was a little frizzy, but she figured she’d be able to get away with it. After all, she hadn’t been cast as a seductress but as one half of a regular couple, and she looked about as regular as could be.

As she left the villa, she almost bumped into Tina, who was dressed to the nines, and looked absolutely terrified.“I’ve already downed two martinis and I still feel like I’m going to die,” the homely brunette confessed.

“It’ll be fine,” Odelia said, though she felt seriously nervous herself.

“It’s not the seducers I’m worried about so much as all those cameras. And the idea that millions of people will be watching my every move, and listening to every single thing I say. Can you believe a guy with a camera came into my bedroom just now, filming me? I kicked him out, of course.”She shook her head. “The gall of these people. Just because we signed up for their show they think they can do anything.”

“I had to get rid of a cameraman myself,” Odelia said. “Kept bugging me about removing my top.”

“We’re candidates, not strippers,” said Tina as she teetered on her high heels.

They passed a villa and a loud voice arrested their progress.“Hey, wait up!” The voice belonged to Jackie, and she looked absolutely gorgeous in a skintight red dress that showcased a sizable bust and a pair of long tan legs. She came tripping up, a look of excitement on her face. “I can’t believe the show is about to start and we’re in it!” she cried. “Isn’t that just amazeballs! Eeeek!”

“Eeeek!” Tina echoed, though it was clear her heart wasn’t really in it.

“Eeeeek!” said Odelia without much enthusiasm.

The fourth participant came walking out of her villa and smiled when she saw the three others waiting for her on the path.

“So this is it, huh?” she said. Joanna was dressed in a simple white linen dress, and looked the most normal of the foursome. Like Odelia, she hadn’t put on a lot of makeup, and it was obvious the pretty redhead wasn’t exactly the party girl. She heaved a little sigh. “Is it just me or doyou guys just want this whole thing to be over?”

“It’s just you!” said Jackie, and squealed again. And as she slipped her arm through Tina’s, and started up the path, Odelia and Joanna fell back.

“You don’t seem like the Passion Island type either,” said Joanna. “Are you sure you’re in the right place?” She laughed deferentially. “I know I’ve had my doubts myself.”

Odelia experienced a pang of guilt for lying to these women. Still, she had to stick to her story. She couldn’t very well come out and tell Joanna she was there in an official capacity. “I don’t really care about the whole show element either,” she confessed, “but the prize money could really change my life. In my line of work 50.000 dollars is a lot of money. I’d have to work my whole life toraise that kind of cash.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a reporter for a small-town newspaper on Long Island. Lots of local events. You know the kind. Wedding anniversaries, library readings, a farmer’s chickens organizing the great escape. Not exactly Pulitzer-Prize-winning material. I love it, though.”

“I thought you were a vet or something,” said Joanna. “Because of the cats.”

“Oh, no. Though it’s true that I love my two fur-babies.”

“They are pretty cute,” said Joanna with a smile.

“How about you? What do you do?”

“I’m an accountant, and so is my Arthur. In fact that’s how we met. My parents are accountants, too. They run their own company, and Arthur was their first hire, so we ended up spending a lot of time together crunching numbers, and chatting around the water cooler. And one thing led to another and here we are.” She smiled. “Friends signed us up for Passion Island. They figured we could use a little excitement in our lives.”

“Oh, they did, did they?”

“Why is it that people always think accountants are boring?” asked Joanna, a tiny frown slicing her brow.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Odelia said with a smile. She liked Joanna. She was nice. “So do you think Arthur will be able to resist the charms of those seductresses?”

“Oh, sure. Arthur adores me. He told me we’d easily win this thing.”

They’d arrived at the plaza, and were greeted by a camera crew, bright lights competing with the natural light still being dispensed by a sun slowly sinking behind the horizon.