Episode 15
1155 Words
The hashtags #MonkeySwimming and #DatingShowTurnsWild were now trending nationwide.
Director Davis stared at his phone in disbelief. His meticulously planned romantic pool date—meant to showcase beautiful bodies and budding romance—had turned into some bizarre aquatic circus act.
He should have known better. From day one, Sophia Miller had been systematically derailing his carefully orchestrated dating show format. If this continued, what had begun as an elegant matchmaking program would devolve completely into the Sophia Miller Variety Hour.
"Emergency meeting," he told his production staff after the pool debacle. "We need to accelerate the schedule."
That's how the 1-on-1 date day, originally planned for two weeks later, suddenly appeared on tomorrow's agenda.
---
"Today is 1-on-1 date day!" Director Davis announced with manufactured enthusiasm as the contestants gathered in the villa's living room the next morning.
The six contestants exchanged curious glances. This wasn't on their schedule.
"Six contestants will be divided into three groups," the director continued, "each heading to a different dating location arranged by our team for a full day date!"
Ethan Parker raised his hand. "How will the groups be decided?"
"Good question." A glint appeared in Director Davis's eye as he pulled out his phone. After a moment of tapping, all six contestants' phones buzzed simultaneously.
They each reached for their devices to discover they'd been added to a new group chat titled "Location-Sharing Hide and Seek."
"Location-sharing hide and seek?" Emma Frost read aloud, her perfectly sculpted eyebrows arching upward.
"That's right," Director Davis confirmed. "All six of you will start hiding at the same time. After ten minutes, I'll randomly designate one person as 'It.' Their job is to catch everyone else within the time limit."
He held up his phone. "Throughout the game, everyone must share their real-time location in the group chat. This means 'It' can see exactly where each player is hiding."
Several contestants frowned as they processed this twist.
"But here's the catch," the director continued. "The winner—whether that's 'It' catching everyone or the last person remaining uncaught—gets to choose their date partner. And that person cannot refuse."
The comment section exploded:
[This sounds like so much fun!]
[Wait, if everyone can see your location, how do you actually hide?]
[That's why there's a time limit. Just evade until time runs out]
[It works both ways—'It' can see where you are, but you can also see 'It' coming]
[This totally favors athletic people. If you run fast enough, they'll never catch you]
[Director Davis knows exactly what he's doing—smart man]
Nicholas Anderson, ever practical, asked the most important question: "What's the hiding area?"
"Within the estate grounds," Director Davis replied.
The contestants nodded. The dating show villa sat on a sprawling estate featuring manicured lawns, a shimmering lake, and dense woods—plenty of hiding places.
"And the time limit?" Jacob Collins asked.
"One hour." The director brandished a timer. "From the moment you all exit through this door, I'll count ten minutes for hiding, designate who's 'It,' and then start the one-hour countdown."
Jessica twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "Does being caught mean being seen, or actually being touched?"
"Touched," the director confirmed.
So someone fast enough could essentially be untouchable. Interesting.
With the rules explained, the production team provided maps of the estate and allowed ten minutes for strategy planning.
Sophia was studying the terrain when she felt someone approach. Looking up, she found Jessica standing beside her, wearing a casual off-white hoodie that somehow made her look even more elegant than usual.
"Who are you planning to choose, Sophia?" Jessica asked, resting one arm on the table and supporting her chin, her smile radiating gentleness.
Ah, the sweet innocent act again.
Sophia wasn't falling for it. "Don't try to figure me out, because the answer is... impossible to know."
Jessica didn't seem bothered by the brush-off. "If Sophia doesn't know who to choose, how about choosing me?"
"Give me one reason."
"Because I want to be with Sophia."
The room fell silent as several heads turned their way.
[Whoa, is this a confession?]
[Is Jessica actually interested in Sophia romantically?]
[Sophia.exe has stopped working]
[Don't read too much into it. There are only three women total. Emma's already paired up, Jessica and Ethan have zero chemistry, so Sophia's her only option]
[Are you blind? Jessica's been giving Sophia those looks since day one]
Sophia narrowed her eyes, mentally calculating all possible angles and motivations.
Finally, she smiled meaningfully. "Sure, if I win, I'll choose you first."
From across the room, Nicholas suddenly glanced over.
"Then it's settled," Jessica replied. "Sophia better not ditch me."
"You can rest absolutely assured."
---
Preparation time ended, and the game officially began.
All six contestants activated location sharing and scattered across the estate to find hiding places.
Ten minutes later, Director Davis made his announcement in the group chat:
[Director Davis]: Let's see who the lucky one is.
[Director Davis]: I choose you! @Nicholas Anderson
[Nicholas Anderson]: Got it
[Director Davis]: The one-hour catching time officially begins now. Start looking for the other contestants immediately!
Everyone watched as Nicholas's avatar began moving on the map.
[Jacob Collins]: Hahaha, I'm still quite far. You should be careful @Emma Frost, you're closest to him now
[Emma Frost]: Hmm... I'm fine with being caught by Nicholas
[Sophia]: You could at least pretend to put up a fight. Maybe relocate?
[Emma Frost]: I don't think I can outrun Nicholas
The production team had clearly thought this through. They'd chosen Nicholas, who maintained a rigorous workout regimen, as 'It' to ensure the person doing the catching could actually catch people.
Just when everyone expected Emma to be the first victim, Nicholas did something unexpected.
He completely bypassed Emma and headed in an entirely different direction.
[Jacob Collins]: Where's he going? Is someone hiding over there?
[Ethan Parker]: Zoom out on the map and you'll see
The avatar furthest from Nicholas, practically blending with the edge of the map—was Sophia's.
[Sophia]: ?
Was he seriously ignoring someone right next to him to target her specifically?
[Jessica]: Rest in peace, Sophia
[Sophia]: Excuse me?
[Jessica]: Don't worry, if you lose, I'll choose you
The comment section went wild:
[This ship is sailing itself at this point]
[He didn't even hesitate! Just let Emma go without a second thought]
[Nicholas has been waiting for his revenge moment]
[Finally, the hunter becomes the hunted]
Nicholas's avatar began moving with startling speed, like a predator locked onto its prey.
[Sophia]: Well played, quite the athlete
[Sophia]: My corpse feels uncomfortable so I'll log off now
Everyone watched with rapt attention as Nicholas's avatar closed in on Sophia's, until finally the two icons overlapped on the map.
They all waited for Director Davis to announce Sophia's elimination.
Instead, Nicholas sent a message:
[Nicholas Anderson]: @Sophia Where did you vanish to?
- Writer
