“At our first meeting, you told me there’s no sex in the society unless someone choosesit.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Itisa choice. As long as you make the rightone.”
“That’s not a fucking choice,” I said through gritted teeth. “What happens if I want to sayno?”
She shrugged. “No one’s ever refusedbefore.”
“Well, I am. I’m refusing,” I said. “I can’t believe you actually thought I’d have sex with some random stranger in the woods in front ofeveryone.”
To my surprise, she giggled. “Don’t be so provincial! It’s just one time for the camera, so we know we can trust you,” she said, rubbing my arm. “That’s all. Ipromise.”
“Bullshit. You’ve lied to me from the very start. You told me that Dayna chose to fuck that guy as her initiation reward. But you made her say that, didn’tyou?”
“Yes, but only because we couldn’t tell you the truth about the ritual at the time,” she said in an annoyingly-soothing tone, like I was a petulant little child who needed calming. “We didn’t lie to you about it being her choice, though. She said yes. Weallsaid yes when it was our turn up there.” She smiled again. “Like I said before, no one has ever saidno.”
“Yeah, because they were all drugged to the fucking gills with whatever gets slipped into the wine, right?” I said. “I’m guessing it’s twice as potent when it’s combined with alcohol, so most of the girls don’t even realize what’s happening at the time, because they’re so fuckedup.”
“It’s just a few little pills to make things run smoother,” Camila replied, as if drink-spiking was a normal, perfectly-legalactivity.
I scoffed. “It’s not real consent if the person saying yes is high as fuck on drugs, and you knowit.”
She raised her palms. “Laney, you need to calm down. Like I said before, it’s just one time,” she said in a wheedling tone. “How can we trust you with all of the society’s secrets if you won’t make any sacrifices for us to prove that you’reworthy?”
My stomach lurched as the full extent of the Medusa’s betrayal dawned on me. “That’s not true, is it?” I said softly, taking a step back. “It’s not just onetime.”
“What are you talkingabout?”
“That’s what all the gifts, money and scholarships are for. It’s not just sex one time on camera to gain the rest of the society’s trust. It’s sex whenever the hell those Network men want it. Am Iright?”
Camila sighed. “You’re totallyoverreacting.”
“I’m not. I know how it works now. You trick poor scholarship girls into joining by promising them the world, and at their initiation, you drug them so they won’t say no. And it’s all filmed, so if they decide they want out the next day when they’ve come to their senses, it’s too late. They have to stay and keep participating in everything the Network demands of them, or else you’ll leak their videos. And obviously they can never tell anyone or ask forhelp.”
“Laney, calm down. Seriously,” Camila said, rolling her eyes again. “It’s really not what youthink.”
“Yes, it is,” I hissed, jabbing a finger at her chest. “I know I’m right. You trick girls into joining and trap them by threatening them with the videos, because everyone knows sex tapes can ruin lives if they go viral. Especially if you’re poor and can’t afford some sort of PR team to spin it for you,” I said. “That’s why none of you are allowed to hang out with any other students at RFA or date any of the guys there. You’re sequestered from everyone to protect all of the society’s dirty secrets, and because you’re beautiful and part of an exclusive club, no one notices anything is wrong. They just see you as gorgeous, inaccessible popular girls, when really, you’re in a fucking sexcult.”
She laughed. “Acult? Oh my god, stop being so dramatic!” she said. “We’re not a cult. Just come back, finish up, and let us give you your first gift! I’ll give you a hint: it’sChanel.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to let you gaslight me,” I said. “The drugs obviously didn’t work as well on me as you hoped they would. I guess it’s lucky for me that I don’t drink,huh?”
She let out another heavy sigh. “Listen to me, Laney. You’re really,reallyoverreacting. Yes, we sleep with the guys, but it’s fun! And we get so much in return. Everything we’ve ever dreamed of. Don’t you wantthat?”
“Not if it has to happen like this,” I replied, wrinkling my nose. “I’m not going to let some creepy strangers use me whenever they want just so I can get a free ride to college and a cushy jobafterwards.”
“Don’t you get it?” she said, shaking her head. “We aren’t being used by the Network men. We’re the ones usingthem. We take as much as we want, and the best part is, they’re perfectly happy to beused!”
I scoffed. “Of course they are. They’re rich middle-aged men getting as much sex as they want from gorgeous young women. They’ve just brainwashed you into thinking it’s a goodsituation.”
“It is. It’s our choice!” sheinsisted.
“Oh, really? Tell me, Camila. How many of the Network men have you chosen to sleepwith?”
She stiffened and averted her eyes. “I don’tknow.”
“How is thatpossible?”
“Only half of them take their masks off at the parties, so I can’t besure.”