Two Fools Make a Couple

Of in the Cold Food

*CW: domestic abuse*

I sit quietly in the back of the car, waiting until I can meet the mysterious proctor. I tried to make further conversation with the driver, but he refused to speak any further. I wish he would put on some music to fill the silence. I start tapping my foot, causing the seat to shake in time with my movements. 

"Stop," the driver barks.

Fear motivates me to stop immediately. I hold my legs still to make sure that I don't start tapping again. I reply,  "I'm sorry."

"Just don't do it again."

We descend into silence once more. Holding back a sigh, I watch the scenery to pass the time. After what felt like hours, the driver pulls up to a house. I press my face against the window to get a better view. What I am looking at is not a house. It's a mansion, and it's the biggest one I've ever seen. 

The driver comes and opens the door for me. I step out, still gawking at the mansion in front of me. The driver says, "The proctor will be waiting for you inside."

"You're not going to escort me?" There is a clear path to the front doors, but I thought there would be more security. I couldn't see anyone outside besides a gardener. Or the gardener is actually security, and he is watching me in disguise. 

"Why? Are you going to try to escape?" The way he said that tells me how bad of an idea it would be if I tried.

"No, sir." The driver grunts in response, slamming my door closed. He gets back into the driver seat and drives away. 

I watch the car until it disappears from my view. It feels like I've been stranded on a deserted island with no way home. Steeling myself, I walk to the front door of the mansion. I ring the doorbell, and I hear a joyful tune ring throughout the house. 

Footsteps come closer until the door opens. A man in a finely tailored suit greets me. He says, "Are you Sam Mobley?"

I nod. 

"Excellent. Please follow me." He opens the door wider, welcoming me into the mansion. I enter the threshold and am blinded by the opulence. A giant chandelier hangs from the ceiling, which makes me wonder if it's some sort of overcompensation on the owner's part. The marble floors are so clean that I can see my reflection. 

I follow the butler, as I assume by his dress, down winding hallways until he stops at a room. The door is less gaudy than the other ones, but that is obviously meant to lull people into a false sense of security. The butler gives a short knock, and we wait for a minute. I don't hear anything, but the butler opens the door. We walk inside to a room full of people. 

"Sam!" I am swept into the arms of Vanessa.

I ask, "Vanessa? What are you doing here? When did you get here?"

"I got here about thirty minutes ago." She leans in closer to whisper, "Some man came to my house and smashed my phone before shoving me into a car."

"That's exactly what happened to me." What is happening?

A throat clears, and a woman's voice speaks up, "Now that we're all here, we can begin. If Ms. Hemphill and Mr. Mobley would take a seat?"

Vanessa leads me to where she was sitting. I see that six other people are sitting with us. The woman who spoke is dressed in office wear with the butler at her side. She and Director Loren must shop at the same boutique because I swear I've seen my boss wear that same outfit. 

She clears her throat again and says, "I'm sure that you're all wondering why you're here."

One of the other men replies, "No shit."

The woman's eyes flick to stare the man down. She doesn't look away until he breaks her gaze. She continues, "You've all been selected to become the paragon couple. Congratulations on you accomplishment."

"Why did you kidnap us?" The woman who spoke is clutching her partner's hand in a death grip, and her voice wavered with her question.

"Kidnap?" the woman hums, "We merely escorted you. I'm sorry if you felt it was forceful, but we don't have any time to lose."

"Uh, okay."

The woman's smile is all teeth. "If that is all? I am your proctor for this esteemed event. You my call me Proctor Devalis. You will be spending the next six months with your fellow competitors. Don't worry, we will provide you with everything that you will need."

Vanessa raises her hand, but she didn't wait to for Proctor Devalis to call on her. "Can we leave the house?"

"No, you will not be allowed to leave the house."

A wave of upset cascaded through the room. Proctor Devalis raises a hand to call for quiet. However, no one quiets themself. Next, she clears her throat. Again, no one heads her sign, so she yells, "Hey!"

The silence she so wanted descends around the room.

Proctor Devalis adjusts her blazer now that the eyes are back on her. She says, "You all must be tired. We'll leave you to meet each other and calm down. The rest will be explained over dinner when you are more agreeable." She motions toward the butler, who ran to open the door for her. She sweeps out of the room with a swish of her blazer. The butler follows her, closing the door behind him with a resounding thud. The last thing they hear is the sound of a lock clicking into place.

For a second, no once spoke until the man who spoke earlier erupted into anger, "What kind of bullshit is this? I told you not to submit that fucking application, you stupid bitch."

The man's girlfriend flinches, curling in on herself. She whimpers, "I didn't think we would make it."

"Well, you guessed fucking wrong!" The veins in the man's neck look like they want to pop out of his skin. 

I furrow my brow and open my mouth to come to the woman's defense, but another candidate beats me to it. One of the women yells, "Don't talk to her like that!"

The man rounds on her, "I can talk to her however I want! She's my girlfriend."

The man's girlfriend reaches to grab her boyfriend's hand. "Jack, please calm down."

Jack shakes her grip loose and says, "No, I won't calm down! I'm stuck with assholes for six months thanks you."

"Wouldn't it be better to get along with us assholes since you're going to be stuck with us?" I reply.

Jack grunts but returns to his seat without saying anything else. A blessing that I'm sure everyone appreciated. Without Jack's brutishness, the room calms down. We stare at each other with hesitation, not knowing how to address the situation.

We do this for another couple of minutes before Vanessa straightens and says, "Hello, my name is Vanessa Hemphill. It's nice to meet most of you. What are your names?"