Page 20 of The Compound

“Where did you get that?” Mia asked.

“Task,” she said. “It’s from Trench and Co. It’s eye-catching, right?”

None of us had received clothes yet. I wondered what she had to do to getit.

Susie came in from the bedroom, placing clips in her hair. She looked at us sadly. “I always think I look pretty until I see the rest of you.”

“You look like Princess Leia,” Jacintha said to Vanessa.

She turned again, and we watched, mesmerized. She didn’t praise it too much, like other people did when they were looking for a brand deal. She just looked damn good in it. I could imagine all the people at home who would be reaching for their phones, searching Trench and Co. I would have bought it too, if I was watching. It was the best possible reward she could have gotten at this point, not just because it showed off her body, but because it was small and easy to carry for whenever she had to leave, and because people would associate her with the outfit, making it easier to land a brand deal when she left.

She scrunched her hair up by her ears. “Should I do the hair, do you think?”

“No,” Candice said. “Your hair is nicer down.”

Vanessa moved her hair around a bit, and then left.

Mia picked up her bronzer, then put it down again. “Fuck,” she said.

—

Some of theboys were in the pool, and some of them were scattered around the compound. When I got there, Vanessa was sitting on the edge of the pool, while Evan and Seb were treading water before her. Like Princess Leia herself, Vanessa’s stomach had no crease when she sat.

Mia, Candice, Jacintha, and I walked into the water and stood at the top of the pool for a moment, unsure of what to do. The boys made no effort to come near us. Mia waded deeper in, then did slow, methodical strokes for the length of the pool. She had good technique. I thought that she must have had a lot of swimming lessons in her life.

Candice settled into the side of the pool, and put one arm on the edge, relaxed. She nodded at Jacintha. “Purple’s your color,” she said.

“Thanks,” Jacintha replied. “I like your hair today.”

“Oh, thanks. Look, I don’t know about you guys,” she said. “But I don’t trust Mia.”

Jacintha and I glanced at each other. “Why?” I said.

“I think she’s two-faced. You don’t think so?”

Mia was swimming back toward us. She paused when she got to Vanessa, Evan, and Seb. “Hey, guys,” she said. “Want to race? I’m really fast.”

Evan said, “I’m really fast, too!”

“Seb?” Mia said.

“Sure,” he said.

“Vanessa?”

“No, thanks. I don’t want to get my hair wet.”

“No problem. You can be the judge.”

As they set off on their race, Candice gave Jacintha and me a significant look. “See?”

Jacintha said, “Nothing wrong with that, really.”

Candice shook her head. “She only pretends to be friendly.” She looked at me. “You know that on the second day she was saying that there was something shady about you?”

“What’s shady about me?”

“Nothing. She’s just being mean. But then she’ll be sweet to your face.” I wondered if Mia actually did think that I was trouble, or if she was threatened by me. I knew that she felt inferior to Candice—we all did—but she knew better than to make trouble with her. I supposed I was an easier target, passive as I was. If I was Candice, I would have swum straight toward her and asked her what she meant by talking about me behind my back. But I didn’t say anything. I just watched them, along with Candice and Jacintha. I wondered if the viewers would say that I was gormless, or wise to not rise to the bait.

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