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Archer cocks a brow. “Creative, I’ll give you that.”
“I spread the pictures online the next day under a fake account, and the town was all about them.”
“That’s not that crazy of a punishment to rapists.”
“No, not really. Embarrassing, true. Except one of them, Greg, had an adverse reaction to the drug I used. He ended up in a coma for a week.”
“Oh, shit.”
“I don’t regret what I did. But if he didn’t come out of the coma, I could’ve become a murderer.”
There’s silence between us, but it’s not heavy. We are learning more about each other and what we are capable of.
“I used to do heavy drugs for a short while, after Droga’s accident,” Archer says in a quiet voice. “It was… a strange time. I overdosed once, went into the hospital. Exactly the same way it happened at the villa.”
He meets my eyes and doesn’t look away. It’s the first time we’ve talked aboutthatnight. It’s the first time he’s admitted what happened.
“I guess we all have weaknesses,” he says with an almost apologetic smile.
I nod. “I smoke pot occasionally. That’s my vice.” I smile broadly to ease the tension. “Although I tried some stuff back in Thailand.ChocaleeorYa ba. I tried that a few times. It’s methamphetamine mixed with caffeine. Strong like blow but a different high. That’s my only drug experience.”
“Microdosing, I still do it,” Archer takes over this uneasy relay of confessions.
“I’ve heard about it. Used to be a Silicone Valley thing when it existed.”
“Yeah. It’s tiny amounts of LSD you take now and then. Helps you focus, makes things clear. It’s hard to explain. It’s like opening the brain cells that were never used before.”
“You have too much responsibility with work.”
“Yeah. It used to be. Now it’s all about money. From the formula that we keep tweaking to adjust to the DNA mutation.”
“Why not make the drug available through health insurance? Take it public?”
“It’s about politics and Big Pharma. I brought it up with Dad several times, but he wouldn’t have it. Me, I want out. I want to fuck off somewhere where every day doesn’t remind me of the prison that this business keeps me in and the responsibility to those who are denied access to the basics.”
“You are such a strong person, Arch, you can do anything,” I say, and the words change his expression like he was just slapped in the face. His gaze on me is almost too intense. “What’s wrong?” I ask, afraid I said something foolish again.
He shakes his head, his face softening into a smile. “Mom used to say my dad was the strongest man she knew. That he is—was—a politician, and it’s a hard job. It’s not always about doing good, but choosing the lesser of two evils. And that sometimes makes one a villain in others’ eyes, regardless of what choice one makes. I don’t want to be my dad, but I understand now how trying to balance high power can bring on others’ hate.”
“But power means taking care of others. If not, it becomes a dictatorship, and that’s power laced with hate.”
“Yeah. Some decisions are not up to me.”
“Some things are. The town, Port Mrei. It used to be beautiful, Archer, wasn’t it? Now it looks like a dump. Children live on the streets. You can change it.”
“Why would I?”
“Because you can.”
“How?”
“You have so many talented people around. And the new ones, the Outcasts. Ty is a landscape designer. Ya-Ya is a lawyer, and she used to work in the underprivileged sector and human resources. Everyone has talents. You utilize so many of them at the Center, but the Center is becoming that business giant that starts disregarding those who take care of the basics—the regular people.”
“Do I know you?” I look up at Archer in surprise. He’s smiling. “Since when do you care so much about Port Mrei?”
I shrug. “Well, if you make it your home, you have to, don’t you? If it were my home, I would want every part of my home to be clean and well-off. If I were responsible for people, I’d want them to be happy. That’s how the Golden Rule works.”
“Itisyour home, Kat.” His words make my heart flutter. His eyes search mine for a yes. “I’d like it to be your home. Because that means you’re here with me.”
