At that, Saskia expected Paige to lose her patience entirely. Lila’s skepticism was wearing even on Saskia.
Yet Paige’s expression unexpectedly softened. “Look,” she said, “you’ve been a valuable member of this club from the beginning, Lila. You’ve given us the daguerreotypes, the mercury, everything. So you above all should realize how much is at stake, and why it’s so important that we safeguard it.”
Lila looked surprised by Paige’s plaintive tone. Maybe she was lowering her defenses, at least a little. “It is pretty mind-boggling,” she admitted.
“I have a question,” Adrienne peeped from her corner. “What if I change my mind? Because of how complicated everything is. Sometimes I worry. Like, what if Emery wants me to stay with him . . . in his century?”
“Like my sister said,” Sara Beth replied, shaking her head, “if you have doubts, you should walk away now.”
“No one’s saying it’ll be easy,” said Paige. She straightened up and looked at the girls one by one, sizing them up. “And no one has all the answers. Life is ambiguous. But Sara Beth and I—we’re a hundred percent committed to our Forever Boyfriends, no matter what. We’re ready to fight for them. Is anyone else?”
“I am,” Saskia said, raising her hand.
Lila swallowed. “You know what? It’s crazy, but the way you put it makes me realize I’m ready to fight for my Forever Person too.” Saskia squeezed her hand.
From her corner, Adrienne shuffled her feet. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were pink and puffy. “I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m causing. And I want to be in the club if you’ll let me.” She looked dolefully at Paige.
“It’s up to you, Adrienne,” Paige said. “Can you commit to Emery, and Emery only?”
“I already have,” she whispered.
Paige’s expression shifted again. Beaming, she rose from the floor and gave Adrienne a hug. It seemed all was forgiven, especially when Saskia overheard Paige whisper into the wispy red cloud of Adrienne’s hair, “I know you can do it.”
“Can we drink, already?” Sara Beth asked, happily exasperated.
“Yes!” Adrienne and Paige replied at the same time.
In the kitchen Saskia found herself jiggling a sterling silver shaker, the name Sampras engraved on the side. She couldn’t help wondering how much it cost—maybe more than all her new IKEA furniture combined.
Sara Beth ventured over and showed her how to make martinis, explaining that olive juice made them “dirty,” while equal parts dry and sweet vermouth made them “perfect.” There seemed no end to the adult knowledge the sisters possessed.
Saskia filled the martini glasses and then took one, admiring its long stem and wide, almost sensual mouth. Giggling, she raised it high, trying to keep the drink steady, while Paige and Sara Beth made toast after toast. Liquid sloshed over the top, rolling down her hand and wrist. She licked her skin, laughing dizzily, floating on excitement and adrenaline. Glancing at Lila, she could see that her friend was having a good time, too. It seemed Paige had finally managed to convert her.
Soon the tension of earlier that night felt long gone. Everyone was as giddy as when they’d trekked to the tattoo parlor, like life was one big joyride.
They stopped keeping track of how many drinks they’d had. Saskia’s glass finally toppled over. She found some paper towels and tried to clean it up, but Paige admonished her, saying, “Why bother? The housekeeper will do it.”
Saskia wiped up the mess, anyway. A housekeeper, engraved silver, a pool that probably cost more than her house—the wealth of the Sampras family and the sisters’ nonchalant attitude toward it would never feel normal to Saskia, though she wouldn’t admit that to Paige.
She turned to watch Sara Beth, who’d started doing impersonations. She had a gift for imitating quirks and mannerisms. If she were at Coventon High, Saskia thought, she’d be in the drama club with Adrienne.
“Do Paige! Do Paige!” clamored Lila.
Sara Beth acquiesced, stretching out her neck and cocking her head to the side exactly the way Paige did. She narrowed her eyes in a condescending, holier-than-thou, perfectly Paige-like way. Lila nearly lost it.
Paige rolled her eyes, but then said, “Can you guys come over here?” She was sitting on the floor again, laptop and drink in front of her. “I want to make this official.”
“Make what official?” Saskia asked.
“Our club, silly girl.”
“Now?” Lila asked, her voice a little slurred. “But Sara Beth is on a roll.” Saskia couldn’t be sure, but she suspected Lila had tipped a little gin into her glass of orange juice. Maybe Paige was changing her in more ways than one.
“We need to make this legal and binding,” Paige insisted.
“What do you have in mind?” asked Saskia.
“This pledge,” Paige said, pulling up a document. “We’ll all sign it.”
Saskia huddled next to Paige and began to read.
The Mercury Boys Club
OFFICIAL PLEDGE
Today, ______________, I, _____________, solemnly swear to take _____________ as my Forever Boyfriend, my faithful companion and eternal love. In the presence of my fellow members, I make a commitment to be _______________’s partner in good times and in bad, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death. I promise to love him unconditionally, to honor and respect him, and to sacrifice myself for him, if need be. I swear to be a better girlfriend to my Forever Boyfriend than any other girl, living or dead.
“This is literally a marriage contract,” opined Lila, wide-eyed.
Saskia found herself shivering. “Did you come up with this just now? On the spot?”
“Yup,” Paige replied. “I felt inspired. It’s okay?”
Okay wasn’t the word for it. Saskia nodded, intimidated, enthralled, and terrified all at once.
Paige left to print out copies of the pledge, dimming the lights on her way out. When she returned, she brought a candle like the ones they’d been using under the giant tree. Solemnly, she placed it on the floor and lit the wick. Then she motioned for the girls to gather in a circle.
“Everybody hold hands,” she instructed formally, taking Saskia’s fingers. “Each of us will now recite the pledge.” She’d placed copies in front of each of the girls. Saskia could barely make out the words through the scant light.
“We’re really doing this?” Lila asked.
Saskia shushed her with a stern look.
“Who goes first?” Sara Beth asked.
Adrienne volunteered. Saskia suspected she was trying to compensate for her bad behavior earlier. She read the pledge slowly and uncertainly, struggling with the word unconditionally until Paige helped her pronounce it. When she was done, she looked at Paige searchingly.
“Please sign the pledge now,” Paige said. “We will be your witnesses.”
Gritting her teeth, Adrienne broke the circle of hands and signed. She slowly put down the pen.
“Congratulations,” Paige said, her smile expansive and generous. “You, Adrienne Arch, are—now and forever—a member of the Mercury Boys Club.”
Breaking out in grins, the girls clapped. Then, one by one, they followed in Adrienne’s footsteps. When it was Saskia’s turn, she tried to make her signature as fancy as possible, like John Hancock’s on the Declaration of Independence. Privately, she thought that someday someone might study the pledge. Maybe it would be a historically significant document.
Paige was the last to sign. She read the pledge with a gravitas the other girls had lacked. Saskia noticed she didn’t even need the sheet. She had it memorized.
After that, the mood in the room felt different. Saskia didn’t know if the other girls sensed it, but she thought their bond had grown even stronger. They were galvanized, part of something none of them could have anticipate
d, part of a club that was surely the first and only one of its kind. Another delicious shiver ran down her spine.
Sara Beth turned toward her sister. “The ’rents will be back soon.”
Paige nodded. “Yeah, we gotta wrap this up, MBC members. But before you head out, I’ve got something for you.” Her expression turned impish. When she got up to open the liquor cabinet, Saskia wondered if there was ever a time when the Sampras girls didn’t drink. Paige fished for something in the very back, her arm extended full-length. Saskia expected her to pull out another bottle, but instead she retrieved a small box. Inside were three sandwich-size baggies filled with pills, colorful as rainbow sprinkles. When Paige shook them, they rattled appealingly, like packets of Skittles.
“What are those for?” Adrienne asked.
“They’re your party favors,” Paige teased. “Sara Beth and I went to the drugstore for more Aquaphor this morning. We bought, like, every sleep aid known to man: Unisom, Advil PM, melatonin pills, ZzzQuil, Benadryl, you name it. We even sprinkled in some Restoril. Took it from my mom. These bags will guarantee that we see our Mercury Boys without delay.” She smiled mischievously and jangled the bags like maracas.
“But . . . there are so many,” Adrienne said dubiously. “How do we know which ones to take?”
“They all work.”
“Mix and match,” added Sara Beth.
“Are you sure they’re . . . safe?” Adrienne asked.
“Sure,” said Paige. “They’re just over-the-counter meds. Not prescription. Well, except for the Restoril.”
Adrienne didn’t look convinced.
“Girlfriend, if you want one hundred percent safe,” added Sara Beth, “then this club ain’t for you.”
Adrienne became indignant. “I signed the pledge, didn’t I?” She reached out and grabbed one of the baggies.
“Look at you, Red!” Paige exclaimed proudly.
Saskia, too, took a bag from Paige’s hand—though she didn’t really want to. The sheer number of pills was startling. Some had the names of the medicines minted in tiny letters; others were mysteriously blank. She had the same feeling she’d had when they’d arrived at the tattoo parlor, like she was treading water that was a little too deep, like maybe she’d drown if she weren’t careful. At the same time, how thrilling that water felt, brisk and new and tingly on her skin.
“Now go home,” Paige instructed, handing the last baggie to Lila. “Get into bed and visit your Forever Boyfriends. That’s an order.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Adrienne replied, saluting her with a giggle.
Saskia was the last out the front door. But Paige grabbed her arm on the threshold. “Wait a second,” she whispered urgently. “I want to tell you something.”
The way Paige whispered made Saskia feel special. Privileged. She leaned close to her friend, eager to hear what she had to say.
“Sara Beth and I discovered something. We didn’t want to tell you in front of the others. You know how Lila tends to freak out . . .” Paige murmured in Saskia’s ear.
Saskia glanced behind her. The front walkway was clear. She was relieved that Lila was probably already waiting for her in the car.
“We figured out that if you take a drop of mercury,” Paige continued, “your dreams change. They become, like, a hundred times more intense. More vivid. Like going from black-and-white to Technicolor.”
Though the film analogy piqued Saskia’s interest, she was scared of what Paige seemed to be suggesting. “Take a drop of mercury? You mean, swallow it?” she asked incredulously.
Paige nodded.
“But that’s . . .”
“Dangerous.”
“Not just dangerous. You could die.”
Paige sighed. “Saskia, don’t be paranoid.”
“But the effects of ingestion are clear,” Saskia said, squirming a little. “I’ve read about them, and they’re bad. Terrible.”
“You’re wrong,” Paige replied sternly. “The majority of the time liquid mercury passes right out of the body, no harm done. In fact, only .01 percent of ingested mercury even gets absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. It’s breathing in mercury vapors that causes real problems, but we don’t do that.”
“But what about all those things we get warned about? Mercury in fish, and paint, and dental fillings?”
Paige stared at her reproachfully. “That’s methyl mercury, Saskia. What we’re dealing with is elemental mercury, which is practically as safe as water.”
Paige sounded so confident and knowledgeable Saskia didn’t dare contradict her. Plus, Paige was right: Saskia wasn’t sure what the different kinds of mercury were. But even though she was ignorant, she couldn’t believe any mercury could be as safe as water.
“You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” Paige said, her irritation showing. “I just thought I’d tell you. Because the feeling is amazing, and I want you to have it, too.”
“I’ll think about it,” Saskia replied, trying to appease her friend.
“I mean, don’t do me any favors.”
“No, that’s not what I meant . . .”
“Whatever, Saskia.”
“I just feel a little scared.”
Paige looked at her pityingly, which made Saskia feel even worse. “Just do whatever you want,” Paige replied flatly.
“Paige?”
“Yeah?”
“Nothing,” Saskia murmured, not even sure what she’d been planning to say, but knowing she’d let Paige down. She’d have to find a way to redeem herself. “See you later.”
“See you,” Paige said, shutting the door so swiftly Saskia had to take a step back to avoid getting hit. For a few seconds she stood regretfully on the stoop. Then she remembered Lila and ran toward her car. Having resolved not to mention her conversation with Paige, she climbed into the passenger side.
“What was the holdup?” Lila asked, starting the ignition.
“Paige was going on and on about some kind of new wine she and Sara Beth discovered.”
“Those two are going to be in AA by the time they’re twenty,” Lila muttered.
“Tell me about it. Hey, I want to ask you something,” Saskia said.
“What?”
“Did you drink tonight?”
Lila shrugged noncommittally, but her cheeks reddened. “All right, I had one. One. I’m still okay to be designated driver.”
“I know you are,” Saskia replied.
“What did you think of the baggies?”
“The pills? They’re a little . . . much.”
“Yeah, but I might take a couple.”
“Really?”
“Sleep’s been hard,” Lila admitted. “I can’t seem to relax when I’m feeling . . . up.”
Saskia nodded. “Yeah, I hear you. I wish there was a way to guarantee it.” Ruefully, she touched the dragonfly hanging from the mirror. “Maybe there is,” she heard herself whisper.
Lila glanced at her sharply as she took the shortcut that led to McDonald’s. “You mean, die?”
“I mean . . . not on purpose!”
Lila grimaced and shook her head. “Dying’s not an option, Sask. Do I even need to stay that? We can’t sacrifice our lives just because theirs are over.”
“I know, I know. But . . . it’s weird. I don’t look at death the same way anymore. Now that I know it’s not—permanent.” As Lila drove, Saskia watched the dragonfly swing back and forth hypnotically, like a pendulum. She swallowed a lump in her throat.
“Hey, have you ever thought about taking a daguerreotype of yourself?” Lila asked shyly. “Sometimes I think we should, so that someone in the future will, like, maybe bring us back.”
“I never thought about that.”
“I do. I mean, how long do you think we’ll be here? Not as long as w
e think . . .”
“How may I help you today?” The voice on the loudspeaker jolted the girls. Still lost in thought, Saskia waited for Lila to give their usual McDonald’s order. Then Saskia handed her a five-dollar bill, the last in her wallet. She really needed a job. She really needed to get serious about looking for one.
They got their food, and Lila parked the car. Saskia looked at her friend sheepishly. “Hey, can I ask you something?” she said.
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you ever tell me about your Mercury Boy?”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Come on, there’s got to be a reason.”
Lila shook her head, trying to dismiss the subject.
“And why won’t you tell me his name? Is it, like, Elmo or Adolf or something?”
“No!”
“Is he ugly?”
“No!” Lila replied, laughing. “He’s just . . . different.”
“How?”
“Like . . . he’s . . . I don’t know . . .” Lila turned and looked out her window.
“What?”
“He’s . . . not what you would expect.”
Saskia waited.
“I knew I shouldn’t have had a drink,” Lila muttered to herself.
“Yeah, why did you? What made you change your mind?”
“Maybe I knew this was coming. This conversation. Alcohol’s supposed to make you fearless, right?”
“Why would you need to be fearless?”
“Because I need to tell you something.”
“You can tell me anything,” Saskia said. “You know that.”
“Okay,” Lila said, taking off her glasses and wiping the lenses slowly. “Let’s just say my tattoo’s all wrong. Let’s just say it should be MGC, not MBC.”
Saskia frowned. She watched Lila put on her glasses again, unwrap a cheeseburger, and sprinkle salt on it.
“My Forever Boyfriend’s a girl,” Lila said finally. “Her name’s Cassie.”
“So . . . you’re gay?”
“Yeah.”
Saskia took a deep breath. It took a few moments for Lila’s admission to sink in. She hadn’t known her friend that long, but she’d thought she’d known her deeply, essentially, the way you knew a sibling. The fact that she hadn’t known this core part of Lila was upsetting—partly because Saskia hadn’t been savvy enough to figure it out before, partly because this new information clouded what she already knew of Lila, and partly—well, mostly—because Lila hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her earlier.
Mercury Boys Page 20