Page 71 of The Mentor
Boulder lifted a bottle of beer to his mouth, but just when he was about to drink, he stalled. “The more I think about it, the more surprised I am that she would volunteer her daughters for the experiment.”
“Actually, I spoke to Shelly about it,” I said. “And it turns out that it wasn’t Sheana’s idea. It was Shelly’s.”
“What do you mean?”
“Shelly heard her mother talking about it and she was intrigued by the possibility to become part of the project herself, but of course she was too old to be a student, so she convinced Rochelle that they should go together.”
“Why?” Archer asked. “What had her so intrigued? She’s fifteen, she should have been terrified.”
“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, Shelly isn’t exactly the typical fifteen-year-old.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said. “I mean I knew she was wicked smart, but apparently, she’s brave too, I guess.”
“When you, Finn, and Marco go to the Motherlands…” Pearl tapped her fingers on the table, looking straight at Archer. “You need to keep the boys calm and be good role models.”
Archer crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. “Define good role models.”
“You will limit your swearing and avoid all shouting and fighting in public.” Her tone was earnest. “There can be no outcries and no pointing fingers; you will act polite at all times.”
“Yeah, yeah, I think he got it,” Khan interjected and shot Archer a frown. “Basically, all Pearl is asking is for you, Finn, and Marco to whisper and be docile hermaphrodites.”
“Could you?” Pearl’s sugar-sweet smile went from Archer to Khan and then it spread into a grin.
After the meeting, we all walked outside and when the men got caught up in a conversation about the rebels on the east coast, I pulled Christina to the side. “You still haven’t told Boulder that you’re pregnant, have you?”
Her shoulders drew up and she tucked her elbows in with a downward dip of her lips. “I want to, but I told you I just want it to beperfect.”
“Okay, so what’s your plan?” I asked in a hushed voice and leaned my head closer to her.
“Well, I thought about having the children put up this big banner, but I dismissed that idea.” She spoke quickly with a strong sense of secrecy. “Then I thought about writing him a song, but I spent four hours trying and it turns out I’m horrible at rhyming. Then I thought maybe I could bake this elaborate cake with a baby doll hidden inside, like a hidden message, you know? But I haven’t been able to find any dolls here, so I had to order one from back home and it’ll take a few days before it gets here.”
My neck was burning and I turned to see Boulder looking in our direction with what looked like a mono-brow from all his frowning.
“Seriously, Ina, I can’t let you leave Boulder miserable for days, only to have you traumatize him by hiding a baby doll inside a cake.”
“I just want it to beperfect,” Christina repeated.
“Then let me help you.” I resolutely turned and waved Boulder over.
“Is everything all right?” he asked with a stiff posture that was so unlike him.
“Christina has something to tell you,” I announced and ignored her protests.
His Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “What is it, honey?” Boulder reached for her hand.
Christina narrowed her eyes at me and tightened her mouth, silently saying that she would never forgive me for screwing up her big plans of “perfection.”.
I widened my eyes at her, encouraging her to just get it out.
“You know how I have been a little short with you lately?” Christina started.
“Yeah, I noticed,” he said and held his breath.
“Well,” she drawled it out and slowly kicked at some gravel. “There’s something I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks.”
Boulder was going paler by the second.
“I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you. And the right way,” she added.
