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No, a drop in theocean.
“That amount of money could go a long way for a girl like you,” Camila said smoothly. “Also, as you probably remember me saying on Friday, a lot of the Network members are very powerful and influential. So as an extra sweetener for the deal, some of them have agreed to write recommendation letters for you to use in your college applications. Recommendations from guys like them are basically a ticket to any college you could possibly want. Alton, Yale, MIT, Stanford… you name it, and you’ll get in with their stamp ofapproval.”
I nodded slowly. “And all I would have to do is sign a contract saying that I’ll keep my mouth shut about everything Iknow.”
“Yes.”
I leaned back and sighed. “It’s very generous, but I can’t acceptit.”
Camila’s eyes narrowed again. “It’s a lot of money, Laney. It would be reckless to turn it down,” she said in a warningtone.
“I know. But that’s not why I came heretoday.”
“What do you want, then?” sheasked.
I bit my bottom lip and affected a contrite expression. “I was actually hoping for a secondchance.”
“Awhat?” she said, eyeswidening.
“I want another chance with thesociety.”
Her red lips twisted into a scowl as the other Medusa girls started whispering to each other. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said. “You made your opinion of usveryclear the other night. And now you suddenly want backin?”
I held up a hand. “Please just hear meout.”
Camila folded her arms. “Fine.Talk.”
I took a deep breath and leaned forward. “I know I was really horrible to you on Friday night. I said some awful things, and if I’m being honest, I meant them at thetime.”
“That’s not a great start,” Kiri cut in, upper lip curled in a contemptuoussneer.
Camila raised her palm. “Let her speak,Kiri.”
“What I meant to say is, IthoughtI meant them at the time,” I said. “But there was so much going on. Those drugs you gave me… they affected me really badly. At first they made me happy and giddy, but then I felt sick and paranoid. Like I was trapped in a nightmare. I felt like I had toescape.”
“That can happen sometimes,” I heard one of the girls murmur from the other side of the table. “It’s like a badtrip.”
“Yeah.” I nodded and went on. “Anyway, on top of that, it was a huge shock when you told me the truth about the ritual and the society. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to do anything properly, because I’m not as experienced as you. So I lashed out and said all that nasty stuff. I really thought I meant it, and I was really mad at you too, because I felt like you tried to trick me into joining. But then I got home and soberedup.”
“And?” Camila’s foreheadwrinkled.
“And then I realized how horrible I was to you. You tried to explain it so many times, but I just didn’t get it until the drugs were out of my system,” I said. “You were actually offering me a gooddeal.”
She rolled her eyes. “Noshit.”
“I know I’m a bit cagey when it comes to sex stuff, and like I said, I was really shocked that night, too. So the whole thing seemed totally crazy at first. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I actually wanted it. It’s basically the whole world on a platter in exchange for a few favors for the men. Not a bad deal in theend.”
“I know. That’s what I tried to tell you,” Camila said, rolling her eyes upward again. “It’s a golden opportunity. But you took it and threw it right back in ourfaces.”
I looked down at my lap, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have tried to humiliate you like that, and I shouldn’t have runoff.”
“But youdid.”
“I know.” I sighed and looked back up at her. “It wasn’t just the drugs that messed me up, by the way,” I added. “It was the island aswell.”
Her expression changed from hostile to confused. “What do youmean?”
“This is probably going to sound stupid to you,” I began. “But when I was a kid, I caught a really bad flu one time. While I was sick, I stayed in bed watching TV, and a horror movie came on at some point. It was about a bunch of witches on an island, and they killed people in really horrible, gory ways. I ended up having crazy fever dreams about it for days, and ever since then, islands have really freaked me out. So when I was there with you that night, and the drugs were affecting me so badly, it scared the shit out of me. I felt like I wassuffocating.”
