Page 30 of The Ruler
“Well, I’ll give you an example,” he said. “I have one of my boys who is insecure and overthinking things. I’m constantly trying to push him out of his comfort zone and encourage him to be more spontaneous while at the same time I’m trying to rein in Jared and Erik, who would jump over a cliff just to see how that would feel. My job is to help the boys live up to their full potential without getting killed in the process.”
“Wonderful.” Pearl clapped her hands together and moved closer to Archer. From the way his lips spread and his eyes fell down to her lips, I could guess what he wanted to do more than anything. I had wanted to do the same thing hundreds of times.
“Archer,” Pearl said. “Let me give you a theoretical question. If you were to teach a group of girls from the Motherlands, how would you insure that they too could reach their full potential?”
“Girls?” He frowned.
“Yes, little girls.”
“I don’t know shit about girls.” He looked to me for help.
“Are you curious about them?” Pearl asked with an angelic smile that matched the way the sun danced on her blonde hair like a goddamn halo.
“I’m more curious about women,” he replied with the charm laid on and tested my patience.
Pearl ignored his comment and asked, “Do you beat your boys?”
“Sometimes, if the situation calls for it, but it’s not my preferred form of discipline.”
“Would you hit a girl if you were her teacher?”
He rubbed his forehead like her question hurt his head and looked to me for help again. I shrugged, signaling he was on his own.
“No, I don’t think I would. I would find other ways of disciplining her.”
“Like what?” Pearl asked softly.
“Depends on the situation.”
“Do you think women are as capable as men?”
There was a flirtatious grin on Archer’s lips when he looked down and kicked some dirt with his foot. “Again, it depends what specific skill set we’re talking about. I believe there are areas where women are superior to men.”
Her whole fucking face lit up and she exclaimed, “You do?”
“Of course. For one, our reproductive system isn’t quite as magical as yours, nor can we produce milk to feed babies.”
Pearl’s lips became a thin line and she folded her arms. “So that’s all women are good at? Making babies?”
Archer took time before he answered. “It’s possible that women are as capable as men, but I wouldn’t know since I haven’t had the pleasure of studying one up close.”
“Smooth talker,” I mumbled softly and pressed my heel against the cotton tree that I was leaning against.
“No, I suppose you haven’t.” Pearl tapped her lips and paced a bit before she made up her mind and turned to him.
“Lord Khan has mentioned you to run an experimental project and I’m here to approve of his choice.”
“What kind of experiment?” Archer asked and leaned back.
“A school class consisting of children from both sides of the border. Ten Nboys and ten children from the Motherlands.”
“Ten girls?” he asked in disbelief.
“No, it would be a mix of boys and girls from our side I think. We don’t know yet, as this is just an idea.”
“Okay.” He nodded, interested, and I stepped in.
“The whole thing would have to be secret until we know how it goes, and that means you and the children would be somewhere isolated.”
