“The same thing happened to two of my aunts,” Kiri added. “I know these are just anecdotes, but this stuff happens to women all the time. It doesn’t seem to matter how smart, ambitious, personable, or hard-working we are… not when so much of the world is still run by old boys’ networks who prefer to hire men. They prop each other up and give each other all the top positions, even when they don’t deserve them or aren’t as qualified as others.”
“So you guys are like a feminist club?”
Camila smiled. “Sort of. The Medusa Society was created by a group of people who believe in the same things as us—that girls need to be given more opportunities to level the playing field, seeing as there are still so many old boys’ clubs around. That group is called the Network,” she said. “They’re older and have access to a lot of wealth, so they help us.”
“Financially?”
She nodded. “We get gifts and access to resources, and we also make useful connections from being in the club,” she said. “We can’t show you everything until you’re a member, but let me tell you… you’d be shocked at how much they give us. It’s amazing.”
I frowned. “But surely you have to give them something in return,” I said. “No such thing as a free lunch, right?”
“That’s right. We don’t just coast along getting lavish gifts for nothing,” she said. “We provide the Network with a return on their investment.”
“What sort of return?”
Kiri leaned forward. “We help them with their businesses when we’re older and qualified. For example, my older sister was a Medusa member while she was on a scholarship here at RFA. When she graduated, she was given a free ride to college, and after that, she went to work at one of the Network companies. They needed someone with her brains to help run things, and they also needed her face on the company.”
“To make them look inclusive?”
“Sort of, yes. But they don’t just look inclusive. They areinclusive.”
“So we all win,” Camila chimed in. “Their companies get the best and brightest new female talent, and they wind up looking diverse and modern, which attracts more and more business for them. As for us… we get amazing job opportunities. Ones we might not get in regular circumstances.”
“That all sounds pretty great,” I said, nodding slowly. “So what’s the catch?”
“If you want to join, you have to go through an initiation ceremony. It’s a bit silly, but it’s fun. Once that’s done, you have to maintain good grades in school and attend all Network functions. You also have to commit yourself to working for a Network company when you finish college.”
“I know it sounds kinda boring,” another girl added. “But it’s worth it in the end. Also, we have awesome parties thrown for us sometimes.”
“You can do whatever you want at the parties,” Camila said. “Seriously… anything. Drinks, pills, sex stuff, whatever. You want it, and they’ll get it for you or give it to you.” She paused for a second, and then a little smile turned up the corners of her plush lips. “We tend to take advantage of it and go a little wild. We see it as a reward for our hard work and commitment.”
“I guess that explains some of the stuff I saw and heard the other night,” I murmured.
She raised a brow. “What?”
“I think I saw you on Friday,” I admitted. “On Harker Island. I rowed over there because I thought I saw lights.”
I thought she might get mad at me over my voyeurism, but instead her impossibly-beautiful face broke into a grin. “Oh! That’s awesome!”
“So I’m not in trouble for spying?”
“No! It’s good, because it means you’ve already seen some of the stuff we get up to at our parties, so there’s a bit less to explain later.” She turned to the new girl. “Dayna, tell Laney what she saw, please. She’s probably wondering about some of the weirder stuff.”
Dayna looked at me. “I’m really new here. Like you,” she said. “That party was actually part of my initiation. I was told I could have whatever I wanted as a reward for joining, so I picked….” She trailed off, cheeks turning pink.
Camila grabbed her hand. “It’s okay, Dayna. No judgement here, remember? And Laney—you won’t tell anyone what you hear in this room, will you?”
I shook my head. “Of course not.”
“Okay.” Dayna smiled shyly. “I’ve always wanted to… um… dominate a guy. You know… sexually.”
“So that was her reward,” Camila said. “She was allowed to pick whichever guy she wanted at the party. Then she was allowed to do whatever she wanted to him.”
My eyes widened. “So… sex is a part of the society?”
She shook her head. “No, of course not. Only if you want it. And only if you’re the right age. Sometimes our members are still freshmen or sophomores when they get recruited, so obviously they aren’t allowed to participate in the wilder aspects of our gatherings until they turn eighteen. Most of them will usually ask for something like a Valentino purse as their initiation reward. Or straight-up cash.”
“You just so happened to see one of our craziest parties,” Kiri cut in. “Some of the others are much tamer.”