If there was an alternative reality, Casey McDonald was living it. In the two hours since Chloe had arrived, the latter had hugged and kissed her former sister-in-law repeatedly. It was as though she had missed Casey – her "former best friend".

But of course she hadn't missed Casey because this was only the second time that the two women had met. The last time – in Derek's home - Chloe had delivered a lecture to Casey on the multiple talents of Derek Venturi in the sack, his "tricks" and just how dextrous his fingers really were.

If Casey was just Derek's step-sister she might have felt disgusted at the idea of her sister-in-law sharing such intimate information. But after that one occasion where Chloe went into graphic detail, Casey had been left with only one thought. She wasn't sure who Chloe had slept with/was married to, but it definitely wasn't Derek Venturi. Or at least, not the Derek Casey knew.

Casey should know…she'd been there; i.e. in the sack, with Derek Venturi. She knew everything about Derek's "technique" and the one thing she had learnt was he didn't have one. He had simply made love to her and the experience had been everything she had wanted it to be…which had only made leaving even harder.

Time had passed since then and brought them all to this point. Casey put up with Chloe's false friendship and hugs, honestly not caring about the other woman's presence one way or another because Casey was there to win money in the name of Clare's child and nothing else. In her eyes, this competition had nothing to do with Derek. Chloe had other ideas.

After the model's arrival, the cameras were always present. For the next five hours the only time Casey got a proper respite was when she retired to the sanctuary of her own room. And that she only achieved at the very end of the day. The intervening five hours were spent in the communal areas…with Chloe and a group of six other people she had little or nothing in common with.

Chloe was giggly and affectionate towards Casey but the latter soon found out that this was for the benefit of public consumption. When they were out of shot the younger woman made her feelings abundantly clear.

The first instance was when Casey left the "getting to know you" session and slipped into the ladies room. She was exiting the small inner cubicle moments later when Chloe entered. The tall model was wearing a skin-tight dress and tall platform heels, but she walked as though the shoes were part of her: confident and commanding.

"Hi Sis!" She smiled a cold smile. "Found a little hole to crawl into?"

Casey's eyes widened at the abrupt about-turn of Chloe's manner. Less than five minutes ago, Chloe had been sharing nail polish tips with her.

Casey turned her attention to the sink, washing her hands and touching up her make up. Chloe didn't like this. She expected a reaction.

"You think you're better than me. Ha! You're a two-bit author and I'm an international supermodel."

Casey continued her ministrations to her face.

"I don't think I'm better than you, Chloe." She said quietly.

"Really?"

"Of course I don't. Most of the time I don't even think about you at all. I'm here because I'd like a chance to make a difference."

"Actually, you're here because I told them I'd only do it if you did."

Casey frowned. "Why would you do that?"
Chloe's demeanour turned guarded. "I have my reasons."
"Well I have my reasons for accepting too. So I guess for the opportunity to carry out my own plan, I should thank you."
"Plan? What plan?" she suddenly sounded less sure of herself.

Casey smiled. "There is a very sick child who I desperately want to help and this programme will give me the opportunity to do just that."

"If you win."

"If I win. Yes."

"You won't."

"We'll see."

Chloe altered her stance and it became more confident and aggressive again. "You won't win. I have too much influence here for them to allow you to triumph over me."

"Chloe. Why does it matter? I barely know you. I certainly don't know you enough to have done you any damage."

Chloe snorted, but Casey was already on her way to the door. Her hand had just reached the handle when the model spoke.

"He doesn't want you, you know."

Casey froze. She stood facing the door, her back to Chloe.

"Who?"

"Derek. He didn't miss you at all during our marriage. He never mentioned you once. Of course, I kept him busy…mind and body. He had no need to think of you."

Casey shivered.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want either of us now." She said opening the door and stepping through it before Chloe could react.

Returning to the communal area was hard because not only was it populated by strangers but also camera crews filming the contestants discussing how they were picked to be on the show…and who they thought was going to win.

Casey wasn't ready to show her face. It wasn't that she was crying or anything, but she knew that the picture it made right now was awkward and strained, and she wasn't about to give Chloe the satisfaction of seeing her look like that on national television.

Instead of staying with the others, she took a door off to one side and started to look for somewhere to collect herself. Finding herself in the library, she began to browse the shelves looking for something to read. She picked a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird in an ancient cover from a shelf on the far side, and then chose a seat nearby.

It felt like forever, but was probably only ten minutes when she heard footsteps.

"Hi." Luan said, creeping into the small nook in the library that Casey had discovered. Casey looked up from her book and sighed.

"Hi".

"Escaping the wicked witch?" Luan asked. Casey smiled.

"Something like that."

Luan stepped closer and perched on a nearby chair. "She's a piece of work."

"Tell me about it. She's trying to make out we are friends, but I've spoken more words to her today than I ever have before."

"I sort of gathered that. What's her game?"

"I don't know. But so far she's being nice as pie to me in front of the camera and whispering snide comments to me when they go."

Luan nodded. "She should be happy with the amount of attention she is getting. The cameras have hardly let her alone."

"They don't follow her into the bathroom." Casey pointed out. She frowned. "You look exhausted, are you okay?"
Luan rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"Nothing that a long soak in the bath won't fix."

"When do you finish?"

"Tonight? In about an hour."

Casey looked surprised. "But it's really late, already."

"Tell me about it…anyway. I'm here to tell you about the format of the competition. Are you ready to know?"
"Sure." Casey said and leaned back. "Go ahead."

"Okay, so…The competition lasts five weeks. Each week the contestants, i.e. you rehearse and train for two performances, one dance and one vocal. In the first week, the launch week, as there are eight performers, the performances are split over two nights with the dance round taking place on the Friday night and the singing round taking place the following night. Both programmes also contain footage of the training and other incidents filmed during the course of the week. The first week two contestants will be eliminated by a public vote.

After that, the show is on just one night per week with the contestants performing their dance routines in the first half of the programme and the singing in the second. Only one contestant will be eliminated per week.

The first four weeks, the performance will be held here in the main ballroom, with a small invited audience – and a small band. The finale will held in the Concert Hall with a full philharmonic orchestra and band."

"Wow!"

"Yes…wow! Look Casey, this thing is big and complicated, and most of all there are going to be a lot of people watching it. I've not known Chloe Venturi very long but I think she has a vendetta against you. So if I were you, I'd watch your back. I mean I will do what ever it takes to stop her, but…"

"It's okay, Luan. I understand. But, I know how to handle her. And she will only win her little battle if I react. If I stay mum and ignore her little games she won't achieve anything."

"Anything is exactly what I think she's capable of."

"Don't worry about it." Casey reassured Luan. "I can cope. Oh…and it's not Venturi…remember. He never really married her."

Later, when she was alone in her room, Casey pulled out her laptop and began to email Lizzie. Nora had been exaggerating slightly when she described Casey as incommunicado. Casey had internet access, and she would have had cell phone access if she hadn't had the accident with her phone before she left home. In fact, she had already received an email from Lizzie earlier in the day to warn her about Chloe being in the competition. It arrived too late to surprise Casey, but it did reassure her that Lizzie was once again communicating with the real world. After her own heartbreak last year, Lizzie had shut herself off.

"Dear Liz,

How are you doing? Thanks for the email about the competition and Chloe's part in it. I wish I could say that the whole thing came as a shock but after the revelations about their "marriage" I don't think anything will shock me now.

I know you are worried about what she is up to, and I agree she is up to something. So far the worst it seems to be is to make me look bad in front of the world, yet I can't really decide why I deserve such treatment. Anyway, all I can say is there are people here who have my back, and provided I don't rise to her games, I should be okay.

How are you doing? You mentioned Ed. Does that mean you've been to see him?

How is he doing?

Poor mom. I think she's struggling to come to terms with the mess we are all making with our love lives. I think she is blaming the divorces for our inability to find true love."

Casey paused. She was tempted to type, Or our inability to act on it when we do. but she didn't.

"The fact that it is just life these days is beside the point!

They've told us the format for the competition, which basically means I'll be performing five dance routines and five songs. If you've got any suggestions then please, please email me. I think there are categories for some of the rounds, you know…things like Musicals and so on.

It will be interesting to see what Chloe picks. My support team have nicknamed her the Wicked Witch, which isn't particularly nice, but as she has just cornered me in the bathroom to tell me how much of a loser I am, I'm in the mood to find their nickname funny right now.

It will be an interesting five weeks. Watch this space…(on Friday 7.30pm!).

Can you tell mom that I've broken my phone so it'll be a day or too before I can call her? I'll email her, but you know what she is like about reading her emails.

Love Casey X"

Casey hit send and leaned back against the headboard, closing her eyes. She was glad she had email to connect with her family. She needed the reassurance that she knew they would give her over the next few days. Despite her words to Chloe, and to Lizzie, she knew that Derek's ex had the power to not only make her look bad to the press and the public, but also, and more importantly, to hurt her deeply. The initial blow Chloe had sunk had been a low one.

Casey might be annoyed at Derek for using the "freak" word, and despite Nora's reassurance that he wanted to talk to her she might know that they had no future together, but the idea of Derek not thinking about her, the idea that he didn't care – hadn't ever cared- was just too painful.

She looked down at the laptop screen in front of her. Then, sighing at her own stupidity, she typed "Derek Venturi and Casey McDonald" into the google search box and hit enter.

A long list of results came back, and most of them were that warm "already been ready" purple colour rather than the cool "unread" blue. Casey would never admit it, but googling her relationship with Derek was something that happened all too frequently. Some of her favourite photos of the two of them together were ones taken by other people – people who she couldn't ask for copies.

Today, however, as she had a filter on the search for recent entries, one of the top results was still in blue. She read the summary.

Derek Venturi Wife Meets Step-sister live on TV.

It turned out to be What's On article for a TV Guide.

Reality TV Gives Back?

Friday sees the launch of the latest reality TV offering to blight our already reality-ed out screens – and yes folks! It's another song and dance offering with half-baked celebrities. This one is done under the guise of "giving back" to charity as it is part of the lead up to the Comic Relief telethon which takes place at the end of next month. The celebrities involved are the usual sorts of have-beens and have-nots, most notably the former Mrs Derek Venturi who whilst an internationally renowned super-model seems intent on fixing her place firmly in everyone's minds as the bigamist wife of the hockey super-god. (Despite the fact that he apparently wants nothing further to do with her).

Far be it for this reviewer to second guess anyone – especially someone of Chloe's stature, but surely the goddess should move on already?

Other guests are possibly lower down the pecking order, but there is one further person of interest in the group, namely that of Casey McDonald. Miss McDonald might not grab headlines the way that Chloe does, but she is worthy of our attention. The award-winning author is in fact the Step-sister of Derek Venturi, and if rumour is to be believed, one of his best friends. So we are left with an ex-wife versus best-friend scenario. I wonder who DV will be voting for?

Despite my words above and the hum-drum nature of reality TV shows these days, I for one will be watching on Friday. Will the supermodel reveal hidden talents to wow the crowds and win over her former "husband"? Or will the shy, retiring author steal the show and remind all of us that brains are better than beauty?

Casey chuckled, forwarded the article to Lizzie, and then clicked on the link to her favourite photos.