As soon as all of the participants were released to act as they pleased, Jett made a beeline for the stairs. Having already explored most of the house’s ground level, he wanted to see what the second floor looked like. It was probably just full of bedrooms—there would have to be a lot to house this many people—but if they were anything like the rest of the mansion, they were sure to be something special. He wondered how big they were and what the view would be like. Were the bathrooms public or would they each have their own? He couldn’t wait to find out.

As Jett climbed the short flights of steps, he noticed someone else was keeping pace just behind him. “Can’t wait to see your room either, huh?” he glanced over his shoulder when he reached the second floor and smirked at Tom as the blonde clambered up beside him. The only other person to follow them up the steps was a cameraman—the crew was fast to start recording everyone’s reactions to their new home—so Jett guessed the others must have stayed behind to explore the rest of the house down below.

“You kidding?” Tom grinned back at him. “I want to make sure I scored one with an ocean view. Hey, if you get one and I don’t, I’ll trade ya.”

“Hell no,” Jett snorted.

The two went on to wander the upper level of the house. They found that it was shaped like a big “L,” with a railed catwalk separating the four rooms in the west wing from the four in the south wing. Half of the rooms overlooked the ocean—three in the west and one in the south—and the other half overlooked the surrounding palm trees. As for the room assignments (in order from the top of the “L” to the bottom) Ethan, Jett, Mia, and Tom were placed in the west wing—much to their excitement, both Tom and Jett had oceanside rooms—and Traci, Max, Chloe, and David were placed in the south wing.

Once they were done exploring, Jett and Tom split up to arrange their own rooms. The cameraman that had been following them around went after Tom, so Jett found himself with a little more time alone. He unpacked his things, hanging his clothes in the closet, setting his guitar up in its stand, putting his toiletries in the bathroom, throwing up a few posters of New York City—it was a precaution in case he got homesick later on—and placing a picture of his family on his nightstand. [i]Feels like home already,[/i] he thought, pleased with the bedroom’s transformation. When he was finished, he kicked off his shoes and stepped over to the large window that made up the western wall, looking out over the ocean. It really was a view to die for. The moon and stars reflected on the ocean’s soft waves, which could be heard faintly as they lapped at the sandy shore below. [i]I should try surfing sometime,[/i] he mused, watching the rolling tides serenely.

“Knock, knock,” Tom’s voice came from the open doorway. He leaned against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. The cameraman stood a few paces behind him, filming their interaction. “You done prettying up your room yet?”

“Yeah,” Jett answered. “Why?”

“I was thinking,” Tom shrugged one shoulder. “We should get everybody together for a welcome-to-the-show party. This is the ultimate party house, after all, and it would be a good opportunity to get to know the rest of the folks here. So, you wanna help me round up the gang?”

“Sounds like fun,” Jett grinned. “I’m in.” He followed the blonde into the hallway, where they split up once again to knock on the other participants’ doors. The cameraman followed Jett this time as he walked up to the room next to his own. The resident’s nameplate read MIA. [i]She was the blonde girl, right? The last person to show up?[/i] he tried to remember as he rapped on her door with his knuckles. “Party downstairs in fifteen! You don’t want to miss it!”