Blaze rubbed his palms together like a cartoon villain.
"Okay, FIRST REAL QUESTION… who's most likely to start drama accidentally?"
Before Blaze even finished asking,
EVERYONE pointed at Nicholas.
Nicholas froze mid-breath. "WHY is it ALWAYS me? I am a peace-loving citizen!" Theo gave him a look. "You started drama just by being born." Zhihao didn't look up from his water. "You just breathe suspiciously." Noor added, "You triggered Purple in under five minutes." Purple side-eyed Nicholas again — sharp, silent, unimpressed. Nicholas clutched his chest. "See? THAT SIDE EYE is violent." The table howled. Nicholas pretended to be offended, clutching his chest. Efua snapped her fingers. "My turn. Who is the biggest MENACE when rehearsing?" Jun pointed at Solene. Solene pointed at Jun. They both froze and then glared at each other. Aria giggled. "Aww, couple behavior." Lennox leaned over the table with a mischievous smile. "Right, who here would survive a zombie apocalypse?" Zayn casually raised his hand at himself. Mira nodded. "Absolutely him." Nicholas pointed at Malik. "Bro looks like he knows survival techniques." Malik blinked. "I do… but how do YOU know that?" "Your aura," Nicholas replied. Meanwhile, everyone pointed at Purple.
Purple blinked. "Me?? Why?"
Malik said. "You move faster than gravity. Zombies can't catch that." Purple lowered her face, her fingers tapping nervously on her knee. "You can't be slow where I come from… you're going to be left behind." Deji leaned closer, voice playful-low. "See? You're terrifying. In a good way."
Purple snapped her head up, giving him a sharp side-eye.
"Hey! I'm not terrifying." She puffed out her cheeks in an offended little huff.
Across the table, Efua suddenly paused mid-laugh, eyes narrowing at someone.
"You"—she pointed her chin at Zhihao—"have been awfully quiet since we got here. Are you regretting this already?" She poked his arm. Zhihao blinked slowly. "Rebooting."
Blaze snorted. "Are you bipolar, Zhihao? You're nothing like the interview you gave."
Jade leaned forward, elbows on the table. "No, seriously. You talked so much during the interview I thought you were secretly possessed." Zhihao stared blankly ahead. "That was my social battery on full charge."
A beat.
"This… is it dying." Efua threw her hands up. "You've been here for ONE hour!" Indigo laughed. "Let him reboot in peace. He's like a phone on 3%." Theo added, "Yeah, and someone keeps opening ten apps at once." Nicholas pointed dramatically at Zhihao, grinning. "Bro's running on low power mode." Zhihao finally cracked a tiny smile. "Correct."
A sharp beep echoed through the house, and the overhead lights blinked once.
"The luggage is here!" someone shouted.
Chairs scraped, voices rose, and all twenty members scattered toward the hallway where rolling suitcases and labeled trunks were neatly lined up. It was chaotic but excited—duos laughing, dragging bags, calling out their names as they sorted through their belongings.
Soon, doors clicked shut one by one as everyone retreated to explore their customized rooms.
Their door swung open to reveal a rich burgundy interior, warm and dramatic—velvet textures, gold accents, soft lighting. Indigo let out a soft whistle.
"This is… insane," he murmured before dropping onto the bed, arms spread. "I could live here forever."
Thira was already unpacking, sliding hangers across the wardrobe rail with practiced speed.
"How do you feel about the members so far?" Indigo asked, still taking in the deep maroon walls.
Thira grinned, practically glowing.
"Everyone is so chill! Like—they know they're good. Blaze and Jade? They walk around like they've already secured half the votes. And Mira and Zayn's whole explosive energy? Crazy."
She shut her suitcase and leaned against it, excited.
"And Purple's duality? That switch from stage demon to shy sunflower? ICONIC."
Indigo laughed. "She's unpredictable. That's dangerous."
Thira clasped her hands dramatically.
"This is going to be sooo fun!! I can't wait to see the chaos, the drama, the competition—this cast is STACKED."
Indigo stretched, sinking deeper into the mattress.
"Oh, it's going to be fun," he agreed, staring at the dark ceiling
The door slid open with a soft hiss. Efua took one step inside… and froze. The room was black. Black walls.
Black bedding.
Black curtains.
Even the lamps had a matte-onyx finish.
Efua blinked slowly. "Oh. Wow. This is… depressing." Zhihao walked past her, expression unreadable as usual. "I like it," he said simply, dropping his duffel on the bed closest to the window. "Of course you do." Efua rolled her eyes and toed her suitcase inside. "Why did I expect sunlight? Or color? Or—joy?" Zhihao opened a drawer, completely unfazed. "You didn't." Efua shot him a side-eye so sharp it could slice stone. "You know, for someone who barely speaks, you talk a lot when it's to annoy me."
He didn't answer — typical — just folded a hoodie with perfect, military-level precision. Efua sighed dramatically. "You were so talkative in your interview. I thought, 'Oh! Maybe this partnership won't be awkward.' And here we are." "Rebooting," Zhihao said dryly, echoing his earlier response. Efua pulled back, offended. "Is that your excuse for everything?"
"Better than yours," he replied calmly, shutting the drawer. "My excuse?" Efua leaned against the wardrobe. "My excuse for what?" He finally looked at her — quiet, steady, unreadable. "For judging everyone in the first ten minutes." Efua scoffed. "I wasn't judging. I was… observing." "Same thing," he muttered. She huffed but didn't argue.
A beat of silence.
Efua crossed her arms. "Whatever. Let's talk about the others then. Maybe that'll distract me from this bat-cave aesthetic." Zhihao shrugged. "Purple is interesting." "She's terrifying," Efua corrected. "Cute, but terrifying. Duality on steroids." "And Nicholas?" he asked. "Annoying," Efua said instantly. "But in a useful way. He'll make good TV." Zhihao nodded once. "Blaze and Jade seem confident." "Too confident," Efua muttered. "And you know the type—fan favorites outside, so they think they'll dominate in here."
Zhihao sat on his bed, hands folded neatly. "You hate confidence."
"I hate arrogance," she corrected sharply. "Confidence is sexy. Arrogance is… them."
He hummed in agreement.
"And Mira and Zayn?" she continued.
"Chaotic," he said.
"Agreed," Efua sighed. "Chaotic hot. Chaotic dangerous. Chaotic fan-favorite. Ugh."
Another pause.
Efua sat on her own bed, the black comforter crinkling under her. "And us?" she asked, trying to sound casual. Zhihao tilted his head slightly. "Estranged." "Well," Efua said with a resigned shrug, "at least we agree on something."
He nodded once before lying back on the bed like a resting vampire. "Could be worse."
Efua stared at the pitch-black ceiling. "…Yeah," she whispered reluctantly. "Could be."
...
Their room smelled faintly of vanilla from the scented diffuser Lennox had immediately plugged in. The walls were a soft cream tone — cozy, warm, and a little fancy thanks to her.
Noor dropped onto his bed with a soft thud, running a hand through his curls. "My back is finished, bro. And we haven't even started week one."
Lennox laughed as she unpacked a stack of color-coded notebooks. "You say that, but you danced like you were trying to summon lightning."
Noor pointed at her. "Don't hype me. I'll start feeling myself."
"Too late," she said, smirking.
A small silence passed as Lennox arranged the dresser.
Then Noor spoke, voice dropping like he was about to spill tea.
"So… thoughts on Raye and Malik?"
Lennox perked up instantly. "Oh, the quiet assassins? I'm obsessed."
Noor snorted. "They barely talked but somehow had the loudest presence in the room."
"Right? Malik looks like he meditates before destroying people on stage."
"And Raye looks like she can do a death drop and file her taxes at the same time," Noor said.
Lennox slapped her knee laughing. "STOP—"
"They're strong, though," Noor added seriously. "Definitely top-tier competitors."
Lennox nodded. "Yeah… they're giving final-three energy."
Noor flopped backwards on his bed dramatically. "Lord, save us."
A beat.
"Okay," Lennox said, grinning. "Efua and Zhihao."
Noor sat up immediately. "Oh? The chaos duo?"
Lennox burst out laughing. "YES—"
"Efua looks like she could fight air and win," Noor muttered. "And Zhihao looks like he updates his personality like an iPhone."
"He literally said 'rebooting,'" Lennox whispered dramatically.
Noor blinked. "I didn't even know humans could say that."
"They're such an odd pairing," Lennox said, shaking her head.
"Yeah but…" Noor stretched his arms overhead. "That contrast might make them crazy good. Efua's instinct plus Zhihao's precision? That's a dangerous mix."
Lennox hummed in agreement.
"Alright," she said. "Jun and Solene."
Noor exhaled like he was tired of how perfect they were. "The aesthetic duo."
"The visual royalty of the house," Lennox corrected.
"No, actually." Noor sat up. "Even their entrance looked choreographed."
"And Jun's rap part during the audition? He ATE."
"No crumbs." Noor said, raising a hand.
"Solene is so calm, though," Lennox added. "She's like… soft power."
"They're going to do well," Noor agreed.
A comfortable silence settled as Lennox finished sorting her clothes.
Then Noor smirked. "Everyone is strong this season."
Lennox matched his expression. "But we didn't come here to be background characters."
Noor reached out and fist-bumped her. "That's on duality."
Lennox laughed. "We're winning something. I don't care what it is."