Max POV

My name is Maxine Martinez. Call me Max. I'm 17.

I live with my two little sisters Ella and Angel, Ella was only 14, Angel only 6. We live with our Aunt Beth who couldn't give two fucks about us. We had to fend for ourselves, which left us pretty low on money. One day, while I was walking down the road, coming home from school. A man, mid thirties with sunglasses and a little goatee, wearing a baseball cap, approached me.

"Hey kid, I'm a producer of a new reality show." He said, taking his glasses off and looking me up and down.

"Good for you." I replied curtly. Nodding my head and starting to turn around to walk away, he gave me the creeps.

"Well, how about you make a few million bucks?" I froze in my spot and slowly turned around, tilting my head. He looked like a producer, he had the whole artistic, rich bitch vibe going on and now that I'm paying attention, I realized I'd seen him on TV or something before. Besides that, we needed the money badly. For Ella. For Angel.

"What do I have to do?"

"Star in my new reality show, you look the part. Young, pretty face. Everyone will like you." He grinned and I glared at him.

"What. Do. I. Have. To. Do?" I said slower, over-enunciating the words. It was meant to be offensive, but he chuckled, taking his cap off to run his fingers through his thinning hair and then put it back on.

"Stay in a villa provided by our sponsors for a month, we'll give you a few scenarios, film a few bits and pieces. Fight few fights, but don't worry, you look tough, I'm sure you can handle them."

"A few fights... What do you mean? And can't I stay in my own place?" I asked, somehow this didn't feel like just an innocent reality show, but then again, there never is 'just an innocent reality show'.

"Yeah, fists and stuff. You can fight, can't you? Oh, and production issues, contestants can't leave the premises while in production. Sucks, I know, but you'd get celebrity treatment while you're there I promise you." He smiled, holding out his pinky. I ignored him, searching his eyes for a hint of fraud. If he was lying, this guy was good. He looked at me expectantly, holding out his hand. I sighed, we really did need the money, besides... a reality show could be fun. I grabbed his hand and shook it firmly.

"So how much money are we talking?"

He smiled and shook my hand back firmly, tipping his baseball cap down as if he was a cowboy, "Glad to have you on the team."

2 million dollars per episode. It was unbelievable, I had never touched a million dollars much less earned double it. And I was leaving tomorrow. I ran straight home, excited to tell Ella about the money I was making.

"Ella! Where are you!" I yelled up the stairs, throwing my bag in my room as I ran past it. She was sitting in her room, on her bed, doing her homework. She grinned when she saw me.

"Max! You're home! How was school?" I grinned and walked over to sit on her bed and ruffle her hair.

"I got a job, and you'll never guess how much money I'm making."

"How much?" She asked, eyes widening.

"2 million a day." I grinned, holding her shoulders. I watched as her mouth dropped and her eyes widened to impossible spheres. And she stayed that way for a minute or two.

"Y-You're serious..? We're gonna be rich..." She stuttered, eyes still wide. I grinned wider and nodded. Exactly then, Angel trudged into the room, carrying her favorite toy bear we bought her for christmas when she was only 3. She climbed onto Ella's bed and onto my lap, staring up at both of us.

"Why is everyone so happy?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. God, she was adorable.

"We're gonna be rich, Angel!" Ella screamed, Angel's smile widened and she bounced up and down. "We're gonna move out of this hell hole, away from Aunt Beth and we're all gonna live a perfect life together!"

"Ella, there's one little thing..." I started, Ella looked at me and I sighed, "I have to leave for a month, you have to stay here with Aunt Beth until I get back, okay?"

Angel's smile left her face completely, "What do you mean you have to leave! You can't leave! Who's gonna look after us! Who's gonna make us dinner and lunch and breakfast! You can't go Max!" She turned around in my lap to hug me tightly, burying her face into me.

"Angel, it's only for a little while I promise, when I get back everything will be better than normal, we'll save up the money I have and once I turn 18, we'll move out and live easy okay, sweetie? Ella knows how to cook, she'll look after you better than I ever could." I smiled at Ella, who was frowning.

"A month's a long time Max..."

I reached out to hug her too, "It'll be over before you know it Ells, and I'll call you, I promise." I kissed them both on the head.

It was going to be a long month, and we all knew it.

As I climbed onto my motorcycle, I watched Ella and Angel send me off. Their faces plastered with sadness. It broke my heart but I tried to be optimistic. Think of all the good things that'd happen when I got back. I waved to them and winked before shooting off to the address the producer, who's name, I found, was Jeb Batchelder, gave me. And as I pulled up into the driveway of a gigantic glass building, transparent so that the little people moving inside were displayed to the world. Strange, they all looked like scientists.

"Max, you're here!" Jeb walked towards me as I took my helmet off and shook out my hair. Turning around to take in my surroundings.

"Fancy." I smiled, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Only the best. Here, let's meet your co-workers shall we?" He led me into a little lodge, cozy looking on the outside but on the inside, it was equipped with the most high end gadgets and furniture, on the couch sat the people I'd be spending my month with, gazing up speculatively at me.

"Everybody, this is Max, Max this is everybody, I'll let you all get to know each other. Max the others were here early so I showed them their rooms first, they know where it is so they'll show you the way. You stay in Room 101, I have some important errands to run so I'll be off. If you need anything, press the red buttons you'll find around the facility." He nodded and tipped his baseball cap again, walking out the front door.

I stood awkwardly, taking in everyone around me. There was a girl of around 13 with curly long hair and mocha coloured skin who got up and shook my hand, grinning excitedly.

"Hi there Max, my name is Monique. That strawberry blonde hunk over there is James, the other hunky hunk beside him is Nick, the other other hunky hunk across the room is Dylan, bitchy reddy over there is Lissa and her bitchy reddy twin is Brigid. That's about it, that's all of us." She said, all in one breath, before sitting back down. Everyone looked friendly enough, except for the two red heads, what were their names? Lizzie and Brietta? They were glaring daggers at me and I glared at them back, choosing a seat next to Monique.

"So, what exactly do we do on this show?"