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   ~~~

   Pledges

   by Stephanie Rose

   (The hottest black sorority recruits new members.) ~~~

   Chapter 6: The First Day of Pledging:

   The Sisters catch the pledges off guard.

   ~~~

   Sierra sat in her bedroom, reclining in her chair, her legs propped up
on top of her desk.  She had her phone cradled between her ear and her
shoulder, waiting for the other party to pick up.  As she waited, she held
out her hands and admired her fresh manicure.

   "My nails look hot," she said as she waited on hold.  Her glossy pink
nail polish gleamed in the warm mid-November sunlight that streamed through
her window.

   Then she carefully smoothed her hair back.  "Oooh, damn," she whispered.
"The hair's kinda rough, girl.  I need a fresh perm to-day."

   Suddenly a woman's voice came on the line.

   "Sierra?  Hi.  This is Natalie Sherwood, Director of Undergraduate
Membership.  Thanks for holding.  You're calling about your initiates?"

   "Yes.  How are you Ms.  Sherwood?" Sierra said, quickly pulling her feet
off the desk.  Unfortunately, her right foot knocked over her pencil holder
in the process.

   "Crash!"

   A handful of her pens and pencils flew everywhere.

   Shit, Sierra thought as she got down on the floor to collect the pens
and pencils that had scattered.  "I can sure be a clumsy ass," she murmured
while on her knees, still trying to hang on to the receiver.

   "Sierra?  Excuse me?  Is everything ok?"

   "No, no I'm fine." Sierra tossed the instruments on the desk and pulled
herself up off the floor.  "I'm fine," she said as she again settled back
in her chair and pulled herself together.

   Sierra took a deep breath.  "Yes," she began, "I just wanted to check
with the Rho Sigma Tau National Office to see if you've made a final
decision on our candidates.  We've done our pre-pledge process and we've
already had our interviews.  We've narrowed it down to four girls for the
intake process and we submitted all of their paperwork and their payments a
couple of weeks ago.  Now, did you need anything else?  Did we forget
anything, Ms.  Sherwood?"

   Natalie's voice was warm and inviting.  "First, call me Natalie."

   Sierra smiled.  "Thanks, Natalie."

   "Now, Sierra, I have your paperwork in front of me.  In fact, I was just
about to call you.  Let's go ahead and discuss a few things."

   The two women spoke candidly for over forty minutes, reviewing each
pledge's credentials very carefully.  Finally, they completed the intake
discussion and the conversation began to wind down.

   "Ok Sierra.  I think I have all the info I need.  We've already done the
preliminary review, so I'll take this new information to the National
Membership Board and we'll make a final decision shortly.  In fact, you
should hear back from us in just a matter of days.  Probably just before
Thanksgiving.  In the meantime, go ahead and finalize your pledge program
with your Dean of Pledges.  That way, when I call you with the approvals,
you'll be ready to go."

   "Thanks a lot, Natalie.  I appreciate it."

   "No problem, Sierra.  Oh, by the way: Now that we have the updated
paperwork and we're looking it over, you should go on and schedule the
pre-pledge dinner.  It should take place in the next week or so."

   Sierra snapped her fingers.  "I almost forgot about that!  Thanks for
reminding me."

   "Yes.  While we're doing the final review of the documents you've sent,
the pre-pledge dinner will give you one last chance to formally evaluate
the girls before they make it on line.  But make it very casual.  Give them
a chance to get comfortable, then look at how they interact with you and
with each other.  And as far as the setup?  You know how it works: just the
four candidates, then you, your chapter Vice President and the chapter Dean
of Pledges.  And you know it has to be off-campus and not in the House."

   Sierra smiled at the thought of working with Lina.  They'd been so
distant lately and she desperately wanted to reconnect with her best
friend. "Thank you so much, Natalie.  I'll get right on it.  Anyway, you've
been a big help.  And if you need anything else, please just call."

   "Great.  I have your number here on your paperwork.  757-555-8069?

   "Yep.  That's it."

   "Ok, Sierra.  Thanks again.  It was a pleasure talking to you.  Talk to
you soon."

   Sierra hung up and smiled.  The day was turning out to be great as
everything was coming along nicely.  "Now," she said, "I need to start
planning for the first day of pledging."

   She picked up the phone again and dialed quickly.

   A soft, feminine voice answered.  "Hello?"

   "Hey, Candace.  It's Sierra.  Listen, can you and Brandi come up to my
room in about thirty minutes?  I want to get started on the pledge program.
Since you're our secretary and Brandi does the budget, I'll need you both.
And we also need Tamryn.  And, of course, we need Lina too.  As Dean of
Pledges, her input is the most important."

   "Ok, Sierra, but Lina's gone."

   Sierra paused.  "Gone?"

   "Yeah.  She just came down to my room and dropped off her pledge
accessory list, her pledge calendar and her pledge activity list.  She'd
written them by hand, so she wanted me to type them up, put them on
letterhead and give them to you when I was done."

   "Oh." Sierra frowned.  Lina didn't say anything about being done with
her pledge paperwork.  Nor had Lina asked her input on the pledging
process. As Natalie just said, it was customary for the President and the
Dean of Pledges to be closely involved in how the pledges were initiated.

   Sierra's head began to throb.  To ease the pain, she gently rubbed her
forehead.  "How long ago did she leave those documents for you?"

   "About half an hour ago.  I'm almost done with them."

   "Well, where did she go?"

   "I'm not sure.  She just said she needed some time alone.  Want me to
call her?"

   "No," Sierra sighed.  "I'll call her myself.  In the meantime, finish
typing up those lists and get them to me ASAP."

   "Will do."

   "And we'll just all meet later after I've reviewed her work, ok?"

   "Sure.  Fine."

   "Oh, Candace?  Natalie from our National Office just gave us the ok to
schedule the pre-pledge dinner.  So make it for next Thursday and let the
four girls know.  Also let Lina and Tamryn know.  And go ahead and make
reservations at the same restaurant as last year, ok?  And please let them
know that we want the royal treatment, ok?"

   "Consider it done."

   "Ok, Candace.  Thanks.  Talk to you later."

   As Sierra hung up the phone, she realized that she hadn't really talked
to Lina in a couple of weeks.  "Actually, I've barely even seen her at
all," Sierra said.  "I've been wanting to talk to her.  Has she been
avoiding me?"

   Sierra sat back in her chair.  "All I have to do," she said, "is just
tell her how I feel.  That I've loved her since freshman year.  That I'm in
love with her now.  That she means the world to me and I'll do anything to
keep her in my life.  And that I don't want anyone else but her.  Hopefully
that'll solve everything."

   Then she looked around and noticed the picture of the two of them that
sat on her bookshelf.  They had their arms around each other and both had
smiles as bright as Sierra had ever seen.

   Then she sighed.  "But since she hasn't spoken to me at all about the
pledge process, not even once, it's obvious that she's been avoiding me. 
And I can't do anything until she wants to talk."

   Sierra sighed as she grabbed her pen and pad.  "Well, in the meantime,
as far as the sorority, I think I'm on my own for now.  I guess I better
make my own notes on this year's pledging process."

   As she began to write, she glanced at her fingernails.

   Shit.

   Her perfect, fresh new manicure was ruined.  Then she looked down. 
Thick streaks of pink nail polish speckled her beautiful, cream-colored
carpet.

   Sierra sighed as she shook her head.  So much for a great day.

   ~~~

   "Alrighty then.  Now that I've got the camera all set up, please look
directly into the lens, then state your name and your relationship to the
Sorority."

   The beautiful and curvy dark-complexioned woman sat back on her couch,
crossed her legs and smiled brightly into the camera.

   "Hi There!  My name is Daria Chapman and I'm the vice-president of the
Beta Tau Chapter.  Beta Tau is the Metro Virginia Beach Alumni chapter of
Rho Sigma Tau Sorority."

   Angela, standing on Daria's expensive Oriental rug, took a step back and
carefully adjusted her lens to capture a clearer shot of the mocha beauty.
"Thanks, Daria.  Now, what do you do for a living?"

   "I'm a United States Senator, representing the great state of Virginia."


   "How long have you served in the U.S.  Senate?"

   Daria adjusted the jacket on her stylish, soft-pink business suit.  "I'm
in my second term," she beamed.

   "Fantastic," Angela said.  "How do you like your position?"

   "I love it!  It's an honor to serve the citizens of the state of
Virginia.  I've always been a big proponent of helping people and I'm glad
to have the opportunity to do so much for others on such a large scale."

   "Wonderful.  Now let me ask: what does Rho Sigma Tau mean to you?"

   Daria took a breath and gently smoothed her midnight-black hair,
carefully styled into an elegant French roll.

   "Rho Sigma Tau is my life," Daria said with a warm smile.  "I pledged
twenty years ago, when I was just a young college student."

   Daria paused to remove her handkerchief from her jacket pocked.  She
dabbed at the corners of her eyes and then took a deep breath.  "I was so
lost," she sighed.  "Thank goodness I had such warm and loving Sorors to
help guide me on my journey to womanhood."

   Angela smiled and nodded.  She could definitely relate.

   Daria leaned forward.  "Want me to reveal a secret for your
documentary?"

   Angela raised her eyebrow.  "Yeah, please."

   "I really didn't even know I was a lesbian until I got involved with the
sorority."

   Angela gasped.  "'Really?  That's interesting.  My experience has been
that most girls already know who they are and what they like way before
they get involved with the organization."

   "I know," Daria said.  "All of my line sisters were already out and
proud by the time they began to pledge."

   "So what's your story?" Angela asked as she adjusted the microphone.

   "Well," Daria began, "I had an inkling that I was gay back when I was a
little girl, but my parents were pretty strict.  Once, when I was nine, my
mother caught me putting my dolls in a compromising position." She shook
her head.  "Can you imagine what kind of trouble that caused?"

   "No.  I can't."

   "Anyway, after that, I was always taught that I was `supposed' to get
married to a nice, young man and have a family."

   "So what happened?"

   "Two words: Alexis Hightower."

   Angela thought for a minute.  "Yeah.  I have an interview scheduled with
her in a few days.  She's one of the other alumni members, right?"

   "Yes," Daria laughed.  "And she's a wildcat, for sure.  We first met
when we both attended a Rho Sigma Tau Interest Tea.  She sat next to me and
I was smitten the first time I saw her."

   Daria was silent for a moment.  "She was the one I had my first time
with.  She's the one who `broke me in,' so to speak.  After our first time
together, which happened three weeks later, just before we went on-line, no
less, I was hooked and there was no turning back."

   Angela's pussy began to tingle at the thought of what must have been
some heated lovemaking.  "Tell me more," she said.

   At Angela's voice, Daria looked up.  Then she eyed Angela's body up and
down.

   Angela wore a light silk tank top and a pair of insanely tight, denim
shorts.  Daria studied the expanse of soft, buttermilk skin on Angela's
sexy arms and legs

   "I'd rather show you," Daria said, scooting forward on the couch.  "Come
here."

   Angela's eyes widened.  However, she looked at Daria's generous breasts
and noticed that her thick, rigid nipples began to show through her silk
blouse.  Angela slowly unbuttoned her shorts as she sauntered over to
Daria. Once she stood at Daria's feet, she shrugged them all the way down
and kicked them off.

   Daria, still seated on her couch, reached forward and stroked Angela's
warm skin.  She traced random designs on the heated flesh.  "So soft,"
Daria whispered, as she spread her legs and beckoned Angela closer.  "So,
so soft."

   Angela's entire body tingled at Daria's touch.  "Mmmm," Angela moaned as
she stepped right in between Daria's legs.

   Daria reached behind Angela and cupped her tight, firm ass.  She
squeezed Angela's cheeks, then rubbed and stroked the silky flesh.  "You're
so beautiful, Angela," she said as she pressed her face to Angela's stomach
and inhaled the girl's intimate scent.

   Angela stripped off her tank top and, sans bra, she stood there with her
firm, rounded breasts proudly sitting high on her chest.  The creamy flesh
was topped with hard, brown nipples that begged for a measure of oral
attention.

   Then Daria reached for Angela's panties.  She hooked her fingers on the
waistband.  "Please?" Daria asked as she looked up.  "I want it so bad."

   Angela nodded as she closed her eyes.  "Yessss."

   Daria slid the pink panties down and Angela stepped out of them.  Then
Daria leaned forward and swiped Angela's taut stomach with her eager
tongue.

   "Ohhhhh," Angela cried as delicious shivers raced through her body. 
"Oh, Daria!  Oh my God!"

   Daria's passion intensified at the sweet and salty taste of Angela's
skin.  She licked over and over until she needed to taste even more.  "Lie
down on the rug, Angela.  But first, point your camera in that direction."

   Angela adjusted the camera angle, then she laid on the Oriental rug,
feeling the hard wooden floor beneath her.  However, she wasn't about to
move anywhere, but closer to Daria's tongue.

   Daria quickly undressed, tossing her clothes on the floor.  She slid off
the couch and hovered over the natural beauty with the soft, silky skin. 
Then she gripped Angela's thighs and nudged her legs further apart.  She
inched toward Angela's throbbing core, getting as close as she could
without touching her.  When she was just at Angela's moist pussy, Daria
inhaled deeply.

   "Ohhh, Angela!  I know you're going to taste wonderful, honey!"

   Angela moaned and opened her legs.

   "Spread your legs wider, Angela," Daria ordered.

   Angela obeyed, spreading them as wide as she could, then lay there
silently, shivering in anticipation.

   Daria went right for Angela's mound, using her fingers to stroke the
smooth, freshly-shaven skin.  "Spread your lips for me, Angela."

   Angela took her fingers and delicately opened herself to Daria's view.

   Daria gasped at the beautiful pinkness inside, and leaned in for a
closer look.  As Angela became wetter, her drops of honeyed wetness
glistened on her nether lips and began to run down the inside of her
thighs. "So pretty," Daria moaned as she bent down.  "So pretty."

   All of a sudden, Daria pointed her tongue and wiggled it deep inside.

   "Ohhhhh!" Angela cried.  "Oh yes!"

   Daria drank deeply from Angela's exotic fountain.  She licked and sucked
Angela's pink clit, loving the feel of Angela's thick, ripe nectar on her
lips and tongue.

   Angela arched her back, desperately trying to make closer contact with
Daria's wickedly talented tongue.  "Oh God, please!" Angela moaned.

   Daria grunted and pressed her face even tighter against Angela's
wetness. She sucked and slurped on the liquid that flowed freely from deep
inside Angela's pussy.  Then she pointed her tongue and thrust it in and
out, as far as she could.

   "Oooooh!" Angela said as she grabbed her breasts.  She tweaked her
nipples, loving the dual erotic sensations racing through her.  "More,
Daria!  More!"

   Angela rocked back and forth, following the carnal rhythm that Daria
set. As Angela pushed forward, Daria's tongue and lips slid deeper and
deeper into her wet core.

   As Daria licked and sucked harder, teasing Angela's delicate clit,
Angela bucked even harder.  Her ass and hips bounced hard against the wood
floor.

   Daria moaned and groaned into Angela's pussy.  Her face was wet with the
exotic juices that Angela's body couldn't help but produce.  She
intensified her efforts until Angela stiffened.

   "I'm cumming!  Daria, I'm cumming!  Oh my God!" Angela put her hands on
Daria's head, wrapped her fingers in her long, dark hair and pulled her
even closer.  Angela then closed her eyes and began to cry out.  "Do it,
Daria!"

   Daria slid her middle finger inside Angela and pumped swiftly.  "Now,
baby, now!"

   "Yesss!" Angela screamed as her climax hit.  For several long moments,
she'd descended into immense orgasmic pleasure, riding each joyous wave
until she was completely spent.  Eventually, her body went limp and she lay
there panting.

   Slowly, Angela began to breathe less and less rapidly.  Finally, she lay
still.  Daria lifted up and lay next to her, drawing her in a tight
embrace. They lay there silent for several moments, just enjoying each
other's warmth.

   "You're wonderful," Angela sighed.  She stroked Daria's long, dark hair,
now released from its elegant updo and tousled from their erotic passions.

   "But, um..." Daria began as she glanced up at the camera, "make sure you
keep that tape under lock and key."

   "I will, Madame Senator," Angela giggled.  "In fact, I'll make sure you
get the only copy!"

   "Thank you, honey," Daria whispered as she snuggled into Angela's neck.
"I need to see you more often.  Compared to all the complex hearings and
meetings I've had in the past few days, pleasing you has definitely been
the easiest thing I've done all week!"

   ~~~

   "Why is this so hard?"

   Lina sat at one of the heavy wooden tables on the fourth floor of the
undergraduate library.  Needing to review her chemistry notes, but not
wanting to run into Sierra and not wanting to explain her recent reticence
to the other Sisters, she'd been hiding out in the library for the past few
weeks.

   She stared at her notebook with the list of complex chemical equations
and the instructions on how to balance them.  However, none of it was
registering.  Normally, she had Monica, the resident chemistry major, to
help her, but Monica was at the Sorority House and the House was the last
place she wanted to be.

   "I can't concentrate," Lina sighed as she set her elbows on the table.
"And it's all Sierra's fault." She closed her notebook and put her head in
her hands.

   "I want her so bad," she whispered.  "But I'm going to New York in May
after graduation.  And she's staying here in Virginia for law school next
year.  Plus, she's never said a word about us getting together."

   Lina jerked her head up.  "She sure hasn't.  Not in the four years we've
known each other has she ever said anything about us getting together!"
Lina put her head back in her hands.  "She doesn't even care," Lina moaned.
"She doesn't give a damn."

   Suddenly, Lina heard a voice behind her.  "Lina?"

   Lina spun around.  Standing behind her was Nadia, one of the potential
pledges.

   "Hi Lina.  I thought that was you," Nadia said, as she shifted her
bookbag from one shoulder to the other.  "How've you been?"

   Lina put on a bright, but fake, smile.  "Hey, Nadia.  Come on.  Have a
seat."

   Nadia set her bookbag on the floor and took the seat across from Lina.
She slid her slender frame into the hard-backed wooden chair.

   Lina took a closer look at the pretty girl.  Nadia's buttery caramel
skin looked warm and inviting.  Her hair, usually worn in wild,
reddish-brown ringlets, had been carefully twisted into thick, cute china
balls.  She wore a thin, off-the-shoulder knit jersey and tight jeans,
along with her usual glittery, silver bangles.  Lina noticed that Nadia's
chic clothes and accessories perfectly accentuated her gorgeous frame.

   "So...how have you been?" Lina asked when the girl got settled in.

   "I'm fine," Nadia smiled, her pearly white teeth gleaming.  "Just these
classes are kicking my butt, though," she laughed.

   "Now, you're a freshman, right?"

   "Yes."

   Lina thought for a moment.  "And you're a biology major, correct?"

   "Yep.  Makes me a nerd, right?"

   "Not at all," Lina said.  "But what do you want to do with your degree?"

   "I'm really thinking about teaching.  I think that more African-American
girls need to study subjects like biology.  See, I had such great black
female math and science teachers at my high school that they inspired me to
study the field and maybe become a teacher myself."

   Lina nodded.  "Good for you.  But too bad you're not my professor.  And
too bad you're not a chemistry major.  You know I've been sitting here for
hours trying to get a handle on balancing these equations?"

   Nadia motioned for Lina's notebook.  When Lina handed it to her, Nadia
quickly opened it and skimmed though the notes.  "You know," Nadia said,
"I'm good at chemistry too.  And I'm actually pretty good at balancing
chemical equations.  In fact, I had this in high school."

   "Thanks!" Lina chuckled.  "That makes me feel so much better!"

   "No, no," Nadia said, embarrassed.  "I just mean that I've seen this
before.  I can help you.  But..."

   "But?"

   Nadia grinned.  "But first answer me this." She closed the notebook and
looked around.  After noticing that no one was around, Nadia leaned in
close.  "What's the pledging process really like?"

   Lina threw her head back and laughed.  "I knew there was a catch! 
Unfortunately, I can't give you that info yet."

   Nadia poked out her lip.  "I figured that.  It's just that I have no
idea what it's like.  And I've been hearing some horror stories.  I guess
I'm just a little scared," she frowned.

   Lina recognized her look.  It was the same look she had as a freshman.

   She tried to ease Nadia's fears.  "First of all, it'll take up quite a
bit of your time.  So you have to have good organizational skills.  Also,
do you have a...a...significant other?  You have to know that you won't get
to spend much time together."

   Nadia shook her head.  "No.  No girlfriend."

   Lina smiled at how upfront Nadia was with her sexuality.  "Well,
girlfriends can be trouble anyway."

   Nadia frowned.  "Really?  Now, I thought that Rho Sigma Tau was..."

   "We are," Lina said quickly.  "We do have our `girl fun.'" Sierra's face
suddenly flashed in Lina's mind.  "But I'm talking about relationships. 
Relationships can be more trouble than they're worth."

   "How so?"

   Fuck, Lina thought.  "I mean.  For example.  What do you do when you
really like someone, but you know that your time together is limited?  I
mean, say the two of you are going in opposite directions?  What are you
supposed to do?  Just give up all your dreams?  Give up everything you've
ever wanted for this one person?" Lina shook her head.  "I mean, some
things just aren't meant to be."

   Nadia shrugged her shoulders.  "Maybe, maybe not.  But if it were me? 
I'd enjoy every moment we had together.  For as long as we could. 
Especially if the girl was hot!"

   Lina sighed as she remembered the last night she and Sierra spent
together.  In her mind's eye, she pictured Sierra's rich, brown nude body
in the moonlight.

   Then Lina scoffed as she remembered seeing Sierra coming out of Miko's
room.  She clenched her fists at the memory of how intimate they looked
together.  "That sounds good, but some folks just weren't made for
relationships."

   Nadia shrugged.  "All I know is...love can be worth it.  Love can
definitely be worth it."

   Lina sat there for a moment as she thought of Sierra over the years. 
The sexy, brown minx had never been at a loss for bed partners.

   Lina shook her head again.  "What if the girl in question just doesn't
want anything long term?  What if she's just a fling?" She quickly grabbed
her ink pen as scalding hot tears threatened to well up in her eyes. 
"Anyway, come on.  Let's get to work on these equations."

   "Fair enough," Nadia said as she reached for Lina's notebook again.  She
opened it up and flipped through the pages until she settled on a good
starting point.  "Alright.  Let's get you an A in biology, huh?"

   ~~~

   Jade lay back on her bed, with Mya and Brianna sitting in chairs on
either side of her.  Jade smiled as she intently watched her TV, viewing
the infamous video for the umpteenth time.

   Luci's mini videotape had been placed back in the camera and the camera
was hooked up to Jade's TV.  Mya and Brianna sat quietly, neither one
looking at the screen.  In fact, Mya grit her teeth at the gleeful grin on
Jade's face.

   Then the girls heard a shout from the lower level of the Mu Lambda
Sorority House.  "Hey Jade!  Someone's here to see you!"

   A moment later, there was a soft knock at the door and Luci walked in.
"Hey guys."

   Jade pressed the pause button on the remote and glared at Luci.  "Why
are you here?"

   Luci lowered her gaze.  "I'm...I'm here to get my check."

   Jade went to her desk, took out a small white envelope and tossed it at
Luci.  "Here you go.  That's your second and final payment."

   Luci glanced in the envelope and her eyes widened at the amount of
zeroes.  Then she slid it into her back pocket.  She opened her mouth to
say thanks, but quickly shut it as she realized no one was even paying
attention to her anymore.  Luci stared at the floor and stood near the side
of the room as Jade continued watching the tape.

   After a few more moments, Jade chucked as she grabbed the remote and
ejected the small tape from the camera.  She went to her bedroom closet and
knelt on the floor in front of a sturdy, steel box pushed against the wall.
She punched in the five-digit code to her electronic safe, then yanked on
the handle, but it refused to open.  She pulled and tugged, but the door
wouldn't open.

   "Don't you want to put that tape in a safe deposit box?" Brianna asked.

   "No.  I'm going to keep it here in my room," Jade answered.  "I always
wanna be able to put my hands on it." She turned to Brianna.  "Just in
case, you know?"

   She tried the door again, but it still wouldn't open.  Irritated, she
raised up from the floor.  "I'll just keep it in the safe in the basement
until I can find a repairman to get this one fixed."

   Luci cleared her throat.  "I...I can do an Internet search to find
someone who could help?"

   Jade spun around.  "Luci?  Listen.  You got your payment.  So why are
you still here?  Our business is finished."

   "Finished?" Luci looked around.  "Well, I thought that maybe I could
hang out for a while..."

   Mya dropped her head when she saw the incredulous look on Jade's face.
"Uh oh," Mya whispered.

   Jade got right up in Luci's face, shrieking at her.  "First of all,
you're not a member of this sorority!  And you never will be!  You're a
traitor!  How can I possibly trust you?  So what makes you think we can
`just hang out?'" Jade mocked.

   Luci's mouth dropped open and tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

   Jade walked to her door and held it open.  "Get out.  And I never want
to speak to you again!  Never!"

   Luci looked at Mya and Brianna, her eyes pleading.  Neither of them said
a word.

   "Fine!" Luci screamed as she bolted out of the room, tears streaming
down her face.

   As Jade and Brianna headed toward the basement, Mya sat there fuming at
her Sorority sister.  "Jade's one step away from fucking up everything for
the entire Sorority," she whispered.  "I can't let that happen.  No...I
won't let that happen."

   ~~~

   "Welcome, ladies.  Your room is ready.  Please follow me."

   The well-dressed maitre d' led Lina to the private room in the rear of
the Crystal Rose restaurant.  Following closely behind her were the four
potential Rho Sigma Tau pledges, Nadia, Kara, Mickie and Roxie.  Bringing
up the rear were Sierra and Tamryn.

   It was a long-standing tradition for the Sorority Chapter President,
Vice President and Dean of Pledges to have a formal dinner with the
potentials just before their pledge process started.  As it was, the
Sisters couldn't confirm one way or another whether the potentials would
make it on line, or eventually make it though the process, but the dinner
would serve to put the pledge's fears at ease.  Or at least for that night
night.

   As the ladies walked into the spacious private dining room, they saw a
massive buffet table in the middle of the room.  Countless well-polished
and gleaming stainless steel serving containers held all types of meat,
fish, poultry, vegetables and other side dishes.  A separate dessert table
sat just off to the side, filled with the most delectable cakes, pies and
tarts the potentials had ever seen.

   Two members of the restaurant's wait staff stood next to the buffet
table, one on either side, attentively waiting further instructions.

   Once the ladies had been seated at the antique round dinner table, Lina
called the group to attention.

   "Alright ladies.  Welcome to the Rho Sigma Tau pre-pledge dinner. 
Though everything looks really formal, please just relax.  This is just an
opportunity for us to get to know you a little better.  It's also an
opportunity for you to get to know each other.

   Lina paused.  "Now, our National Office is still reviewing your
paperwork, but we just wanted a little quiet time with you before things
get too hectic."

   She pointed to the buffet table.  "So, as you can see, we have a lavish
buffet set up for you, so help yourself to anything you like.  Also, the
waiters are here to get your drinks.  Order whatever you want and they'll
bring it right to you.  So enjoy!"

   The potentials looked at each other, then got up and helped themselves
to the food and drink.  Lina, Sierra and Tamryn let them serve themselves,
then went up and got their plates.

   As everyone sat to eat, the tension at the table turned out to be
somewhat thick.  The pledges were nervous, Tamryn was bored, as usual, and
Lina and Sierra barely spoke.

   Finally Lina broke the ice.  "Ok ladies.  How about each of you
introduce yourself?  Tell us about your life here in college, like your
major and your career plans.  Also tell us a bit about your families, if
you like."

   Grateful she didn't have to contribute for now, Sierra perked up as she
looked at the girls.  "Yes, please.  Tell us about yourselves."

   Tamryn yawned.  "Sure.  But hurry it up, please.  I do have things to do
later tonight."

   Lina cut her eyes at Tamryn, but remained silent.

   The potentials looked at each other.

   "Well, I'll start," Roxie said, raw excitement all over her face.  "As
you know, I'm Roxie.  Well, Roxanne, but everyone calls me Roxie.  Anyway,
I'm a freshman.  And a journalism major.  And I just love Rho Sigma Tau! 
I've wanted to be a member ever since high school.  And I know it's going
to be hard, but I really hope I get in.  I have sooo much to offer you
guys. Like loyalty.  And I'm dedicated.  And I have great dreams and
aspirations and I just know that I can be a benefit to everything you guys
do.  I love everything you do on campus.  And I've heard about all the
charity work you do.  And I'm all for charity.  And I think you'll find
that I'm a hard worker.  And I'm -"

   Mickie cleared her throat.

   Roxie looked around at the glazed expressions at the table.  "Oh.  Ok.
Anyway, my mom stays at home.  And my dad's a photographer." She turned to
Mickie.  "Ok.  You go."

   Mickie looked around.  Then she looked down at the table.  "I'm Mickie
and I'm a freshman too, but I'm still undecided as to my major.  And as for
my family?  Ummm..." she trailed off.  "Well, my dad?  He's a...he's a
locksmith.  And that's it." She looked at Kara.  "Your turn."

   Kara shot a curious glance at Mickie for her brief introduction.  Then
she plowed ahead.  "Well, I'm Kara.  I'm a sophomore and I'm majoring in
mechanical engineering.  But I also like computers.  I like them a lot.  In
fact, I may do a minor in computer science.  Now, my parents own a security
company here in Virginia Beach."

   Then she turned to Mickie.  "Your dad's a locksmith, huh?  My parents
own their own security company.  What a coincidence!  We have to get
together and compare notes sometime."

   Mickie shrugged her shoulders.  "Sure."

   Kara squinted at how reserved Mickie was, then she continued.  "Also, I
have one brother, Jacob, and he lives in California.  And that's my family.
Ok, your turn, Nadia."

   Nadia cleared her throat.  "Well, that means I'm Nadia," she smiled. 
"I'm a biology major, as some of you know," she said as she winked at Lina,
"and I'm a freshman.  My dad's retired from the Air Force, but my mom's a
building inspector for the City of Richmond.  And that's about it," she
laughed.

   As Tamryn yawned again, Sierra looked at Lina, then at Nadia, then at
Lina again.  "Just how close have y'all become?" she whispered to Lina.

   Lina caught Sierra's words, but decided to ignore them.  Then Lina
smiled.  "Good.  Good.  Well, I think that you are some lovely ladies.  I
think you may very well be great additions to our illustrious sorority."

   Tamryn sniffed.  "Well, that remains to be seen."

   Sierra swiftly jerked her foot underneath the table where it connected
sharply with Tamryn's ankle.

   "Ouch!  Damn, Sierra," Tamryn said as she rubbed the sore spot.  "I was
just kidding."

   Anyway," Lina said as she glared at both Sierra and Tamryn.  "I'm glad
that you ladies are interested in Rho Sigma Tau.  Now, let's relax and get
better acquainted, shall we?"

   ~~~

   The next afternoon, Sierra lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling.  She
hadn't gotten much rest since the dinner the night before.

   "I can't believe that Lina all but ignored me last night!" she said. 
"That's so unlike her." Then Sierra sat straight up.  "And what's going on
with her and that pledge, Nadia?  Have they - "

   Then she thought for a moment.  "Of course they haven't.  Sleeping with
an actual pledge is bad enough, but no Sister would dare sleep with a
pre-pledge.  Especially not Lina."

   She lay back on the bed and tried to relax, but a raw tension began to
seep into her body.  She closed her eyes, desperate to get some sleep.

   All of a sudden, her phone rang, disturbing her attempts to rest.  She
jumped out of bed and ran to pick it up.  "Hello?"

   "Hi Sierra?"

   "Yes?"

   "Hi.  This is Natalie.  Natalie Sherwood from the National Membership
Committee."

   "Hi Natalie.  How are you?"

   "I'm fine.  Just wanted to give you a heads up.  We've looked everything
over, and we're approving all four girls.  Their names are..." she paused
for a second, "Nadia Coleman, Roxanne Baker, Michelle Erwin and Kara Scott.
So you're all set to go."

   A big smile came across Sierra's face.  "Thanks Natalie.  I appreciate
the call."

   "Good luck.  And don't hesitate to call if you need anything.  Take
care!"

   Sierra clicked off the phone and sat there for a moment as her
excitement increased.  She'd been a member of the sorority for four years
and no matter what was going on in her life, she found that she was always
ready for a new pledging season.  The idea of sharing her beloved sorority
with new members gave her a thrill that not much else did.

   Her troubles with Lina faded for the time being as she gathered her
thoughts.  She shivered as the awesome responsibility for finding new
members fully dawned on her.  As the Chapter President, she was, in fact,
responsible for the future of not just their Chapter, but the future of the
entire Sorority.  She told herself that she had to be steady, focused and
make the right decisions.  After a few minutes of reflection, she was
finally ready.

   "Time to get the Sisters together and get this show on the road," she
grinned as she quickly gathered her pledge notes and headed down to
Candace's room.

   ~~~

   "What in the hell did I do?" Tamryn sighed as she lay out on one of the
plush lounge chairs on the Sorority House's rooftop terrace.

   It was a couple of days later, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the
heated rays of the early morning sunrise streaming across her body should
have made her relax, but the constant tension in her neck and shoulders
wouldn't let her.

   "I've gotta talk to her.  I just have to.  Besides, I haven't been
sleeping right since our argument."

   Tamryn shifted in the chair.  "I can't believe that I was sooo mean to
her.  What in the hell is wrong with me?  Why do I treat people like that?"


   She got up from the chair and went to the balcony.  Staring at the
panoramic scenery and admiring the beautiful sunrise, she realized that she
wanted a new beginning to her sad and mean-spirited life.

   She realized that she actually wanted to apologize to the person whose
feelings she'd hurt.

   And that scared her senseless.

   Trying to regain control, she chuckled at her sudden rush of feelings.
"So for the first time in your miserable, hateful life, you're actually
going to tell someone that you're sorry?  Imagine that!  That's a first!"

   Then she sighed.  "But I wonder if she'd even talk to me now?"

   Then she stood stiffly straight, arrogance surging through her.  "Of
course, she'd talk to me.  I'm the Vice President of Rho Sigma Tau!"

   She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and began to dial.  "I'm
gonna make this right.  Right now."

   After a few rings, a sleepy voice answered.  "Hello?"

   "Hi.  I'm calling for Kara?  Kara Scott?"

   "This is she."

   "Hi.  This is Tamryn.  From Rho Sigma Tau."

   Silence.  "Oh hi."

   "Hi." Tamryn's next words came out in a rush.  "About our argument in
the exercise room a few weeks ago?  I think we may have gotten off on the
wrong foot.  I was thinking...well, hoping, maybe we could meet somewhere
and talk?"

   Silence again.  "What do you have in mind?"

   "Damn.  I hadn't thought that far ahead," Tamryn muttered.  "Well...why
not meet in the campus Food Court?  For breakfast?  I know it's early, but
I really want to make things right between us."

   "Well, I have class at 8am, so I'd have to make it quick," Kara replied.

   "Oh." Tamryn frowned.

   "But...maybe lunch?  I have a break at noon?"

   A wide smile spread across Tamryn's face.  "Good.  Noon in the Food
Court.  See you then."

   Tamryn clicked off the phone and lay back in the chair, but it was
several minutes later before she realized she was still smiling.

   ~~~

   At the exact same time, Sierra lay in bed, but restless energy made
sleep elusive.  So many thoughts ran through her head.  She missed her
friendship with Lina, but couldn't figure out a way to make peace between
them.

   She got out of bed and walked to her desk.  She slowly picked up the
phone and dialed.

   A soft voice answered.  "Hello?"

   Sierra paused.  "Hey Lina."

   "Hey."

   A rush words came out.  "Lina?  What's wrong?  Why haven't we really
talked?"

   Lina was silent, then she sighed.  "Sierra?  I have to get to class now.
You know I have an early dance rehearsal today.  Hell, you know that I have
early dance rehearsal every day.  We'll just have to talk later."

   "Fine," Sierra sighed.  "We'll talk later."

   Unfortunately, just as Sierra was going to say goodbye, her jealousy got
the best of her.  "Wait!" she interjected.  "Lina?  Just one question."

   Sierra tried her best to sound nonchalant.  "Anyway, what's going on
with you and that new pledge, Nadia?  Are you guys hanging out or
something?"

   Sierra heard Lina gasp on the phone.

   Then silence.

   Then the phone went dead.

   Sierra sighed as she hung it up.  She went over to the bed and collapsed
on the comforter.

   Oh hell.

   ~~~

   At just about twelve noon, Tamryn's hands shook as she sat in one of the
booths in the campus Food Court.  Unable to eat for the butterflies in her
stomach, she settled on just a bottled water.

   "What do I say?" she muttered.  Then she tried to get herself together.
"Just be sincere.  You can be sincere, right?"

   Then Tamryn saw her.

   Seemingly in slow motion, Kara walked up, carrying a cafeteria tray
filled with fruits and vegetables.  Suddenly, all the breath went out of
her as she admired Kara's beauty.

   Kara's rich, caramel brown skin was simply luminous.  Her long hair was
shiny and thick, her curly, dark ringlets hanging freely around her
shoulders.  She wore a snug, royal blue tracksuit that caressed her every
curve.

   "Hey Tamryn," Kara said as she set her tray down and took a seat across
from her.  "How are you?"

   Tamryn smiled at the radiant beauty.  "Good.  I'm good.  Well, thanks
for coming."

   "Thanks for inviting me."

   "You look great," Tamryn admitted.

   "Lots of workouts in the gym," Kara said.  "It's kind of my second
home." Then she went quiet and focused all of her attention on her food.

   Tamryn wondered how bad she'd hurt Kara's feelings as she watched the
girl begin to eat.  As she watched Kara silently take tiny bites of the
fruits and vegetables on her plate, Tamryn noticed that Kara didn't look at
her once.

   After waiting for Kara to speak, and finally realizing that she wasn't
going to just yet, Tamryn cleared her throat.  "So...I think we may have
got off on the wrong foot a while back."

   Kara looked up from her plate.  "Really?"

   "Yes.  And I wanted to say...that...I'm sorry.  I'm sorry I thought that
you were just getting close to me in order to get into the sorority."

   Kara raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

   "I'm an honest girl," Tamryn pleaded.  "And I'm serious.  And sincere.
You can trust me.  I promise I won't do you wrong."

   Finally Kara cracked a smile.  "I'll take that under advisement," she
chuckled as she took another bite of a chunk of a ripe, juicy peach.

   Tamryn, smiling, glanced up when a movement to the right of her caught
her eye.  Her mouth nearly dropped open as she saw Luci staring right at
her, standing not even five feet away.

   ~~~

   Luci hadn't even planned to eat that day.  Actually, she hadn't eaten in
days.  A wreck ever since she got her rejection from Rho Sigma Tau, she was
even more depressed with being ostracized from Jade and the other sorority
members of Mu Lambda.

   As a result, she'd been skipping classes.  Plus, her grades were
slipping, and they were slipping fast.  She was able to pull herself
together enough to start attending some of her classes again, however, her
rumbling stomach couldn't be ignored any longer.

   Finally deciding to eat something, she went to the cafeteria after her
eleven o'clock class ended.  She quickly grabbed a few snacks from one of
the food lines, then paid for them at the cashier.  Unfortunately, as she
turned to leave, her gaze fell right smack on Tamryn.

   ~~~

   Suddenly annoyed, Tamryn turned back to Kara.  Forgetting all of her
newfound resolutions, Tamryn spoke in a loud voice.  "Yeah, well, anyway,
Kara, I think you'd make a great addition to Rho Sigma Tau.  We only take
the best of the best.  You have to be a very special person to even make it
out of the application process.  And, believe me: No one, and I mean no
one, who's unworthy gets into our organization."

   When Tamryn sat back in her chair, a sick smile on her face, she glanced
back in Luci's direction.  All she saw was the back of Luci's jacket
fluttering as she ran out of the room.

   ~~~

   That night, Brandi sat at her desk, pouring over her accounting course
notes.  The announced quiz the next afternoon sent her into a studying
frenzy, and she'd been working in her room in the Sorority House for hours.
However, the tension in her neck and lower back made continuing almost
impossible.

   Finally at about two in the morning, she put her pen down.  "I need a
drink," she said as she stood up and stretched.  As she did so, her silky
white, thigh-length camisole fluttered down over her creamy, café au lait
skin.

   She then released her golden mass of curls from her rubber band and
shook her hair out, her wild ringlets going everywhere.

   She wrapped herself in a pink fluffy robe and went downstairs, taking
note of the silence throughout the House.  Once in the kitchen, she
searched the refrigerator for her favorite brand of apple juice, ordered
especially for her by Miss Mona herself.  When she found the bottle, Brandi
grinned at how lucky they were that Miss Mona always paid special attention
to their needs.

   She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself a tall glass of
juice and took a long swallow.  "Mmmm," she whispered as the light, fruity
taste tickled her tongue.

   "Hey Brandi!"

   Brandi jumped at the sound of Miko's voice.  "Damn.  I didn't know
anyone was still up.  Whatcha need, Soror?"

   "Sorry to scare you," Miko smiled as she moved closer.  "While you're
standing there, can you get a diet soda for me, please?"

   As Brandi got a cold can and handed it to Miko, she couldn't help but
notice Miko's outfit.  The exotic Asian beauty wore a tight, pink tank top
with a pair of matching satin hot pants.  Brandi licked her lips at Miko's
long, luscious, honey brown legs.

   "You're looking kinda nice in those hot pants, Miko.  So if you ask me?
You don't need a diet anything."

   Miko roared with laughter.  "Honey, I work out twice a day and I barely
eat.  I better look good!"

   Brandi sneaked another peek at Miko's legs.  "Damn good, I think."

   Miko laughed again, tossed her jet-black curly hair back and took a long
swig of the soda.  Then she set the can on the counter, put her hands on
her hips and stood to her full, six-foot tall height.  "I look good?  Ya
really think so, Bran?"

   Brandi grinned.  "And what if I do?"

   Miko stared the golden beauty down.  "Then you might wanna do more than
just look."

   Brandi stepped right up to the sexy, towering glamazon. 
"Well...everyone else is asleep, it seems like."

   Miko slid her thumbs into the waistband of her hot pants.  "Seems like
it."

   Brandi put her glass on the counter and slid to her knees.  "Come on,
honey.  Pull `em down!"

   Miko slid the silky material down to the floor, then leaned against the
counter.  She spread her legs wide.  "Now whatcha gonna do?" Miko teased.

   Brandi admired the creamy skin between Miko's legs.  "Looks good, Miko.
As usual!" she said as she leaned forward and, without any further words,
buried her face, lips and tongue into Miko's wet pussy.

   "Oh my god," Miko whispered as she threw her head back.  "Do it, Bran!"

   Brandi used her tongue to trace small, quick circles around Miko's stiff
clit.  She worked the tiny digit between her lips until she felt Miko begin
to tremble.

   "Bran!" Miko moaned.  "Oh, Brandi, please!"

   Brandi licked even faster.  Miko's hot, sweet honey flowed all over her
tongue and Brandi sucked harder for even more.  She took long laps of
Miko's jewel, loving the candied stickiness all over her face.

   Miko rolled her hips as she grabbed the back of Brandi's head.  "Ooooh,
Bran!  Faster, faster, baby!"

   Brandi doubled her tongue strokes, pushing her face even deeper in
Miko's sugary wetness.  She liked and sucked the sugary nectar as it flowed
out of Miko and down her thighs.

   Wanting to feel Miko's tight pussy, Brandi licked her fingers.  She
started with one finger, slowly sliding it into Miko's heated depths. 
Feeling Miko squirm against her, she added a second finger.  When Miko
howled, Brandi began to gently pump her fingers in and out.

   "Brandi!" Miko whined.  "Oh my God, honey!  Do that!  Keep doing that!"

   Brandi worked a wicked rhythm both on Miko's clit and inside her tight
pussy.  She licked and pumped in tandem, trying to bring the Glamazon to a
roaring climax.  When she felt Miko's hands pull her head tightly to her
core, Brandi knew that Miko was close.

   Miko hunched tightly to Brandi's face, straining to reach her peak.  She
gripped Brandi's wild mass of curls and thrust her pussy to Brandi's mouth.
"Come on, Brandi!  Get my spot!"

   Brandi pumped even deeper, keeping a gentle rhythm as not to hurt her
dear friend, but reaching deeper to find that sweet spot.  Suddenly, Brandi
felt deep within Miko and reached the soft, spongy mass of highly sensitive
inner flesh.

   Brandi finally hit the Glamazon's G-Spot.

   Suddenly, Miko stiffened.  "I'm cumming, Bran!  I'm cumming now!"

   Miko howled and shook violently as Brandi held on tightly to her hips.
Miko rocked against the counter, barely able to stand as the luscious
feelings raced though her.  Her first orgasm quickly segued into her
second, then her third, and then, as Brandi continued stimulating her sweet
spot, Miko eventually lost count.  Her sizzling-hot, passionate climaxes
seemingly lasted forever, and she enjoyed every single second.

   Finally, Miko's passion began to wane.  Then she looked at the clock. 
"Oh, honey.  It's late!"

   "Wow," Brandi said, wiping her mouth.  Then she licked the sweet wetness
from her fingers.  "You taste good.  As usual."

   Miko laughed.  "We do have a history, don't we?"

   "Once a week.  Every Tuesday, like clockwork." Then Brandi frowned. 
"And by the way," she said, "what are you doing up anyway?  I was studying
for my accounting quiz this afternoon.  What about you?"

   "I was in the living room, lying on the couch watching TV.  I heard
somebody come downstairs and I just came in to investigate."

   "Lucky for you.  Anyway, my neck and back are sore.  I could use
some...some more therapy, please?"

   Miko sighed.  "Now you know we gotta be up early in the morning!  You
know that tomorrow's the Big Day."

   Brandi frowned.  "When has that ever stopped you before?"

   Miko laughed.  "Ok!.  I promise to work out all the kinks, Mama!"

   The girls laughed as they walked arm in arm back up to Brandi's room.

   ~~~

   Early the next morning, the day before Thanksgiving, at 5:30am sharp,
the phone rang in Roxie and Mickie's dorm room.  The shrill noise woke
Roxie up immediately.  Sleepily, she rolled over and picked up the cordless
handset.

   "Hello?" she whispered

   A stern voice came over the line.  "Whom am I speaking to?"

   "This is Roxanne," she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.  "Who's
calling?"

   "This is your worst nightmare.  You and Michelle have exactly fifteen
minutes to make it over to the campus athletic field.  Your membership in
Rho Sigma Tau Sorority, Incorporated depends on it."

   "Oh my God!" Roxie exclaimed.  The phone still in her hand, she ran over
to Mickie's bed and shook the girl hard.  "Mickie!  Mickie!"

   "Huh?" Mickie murmured.  "Roxie?  What the hell -"

   "Mickie, wake up!" Roxie shook Mickie even harder.  "Come on!  It's
time! We're on line!  We get to pledge!"

   "Huh?"

   "That was the sorority!  We have to go over to the athletic field.  We
have fifteen minutes to get there!"

   All of a sudden, Roxie realized that she still had the phone in her
hand.

   "Oh my God!" she shrieked into the receiver.  "I'm so, so sorry!  Was
there anything else?  Do we need to bring anything?" Roxie's voice shook
nervously at the thought of leaving one of the Big Sisters holding on the
phone.

   There was a long pause, then a soft chuckle.  "Don't worry, pledge. 
Just bring your bodies for now.  But I promise: You'll pay for
disrespecting me.  You'll pay dearly, you worm!"

   Roxie's mouth dropped open as the phone went dead in her hand.  She
looked over at Mickie with a terrified look on her face.  Then she got
herself together, ran to her closet and started pulling on random clothes.
"Come on, Mickie!" she shouted.  "We've got to go!"

   ~~~

   Tamryn smiled as she hung up her end of the phone.  "Ahhh.  The
melodious sound of scared pledges.  Like music to my ears," she chuckled.
"This year's pledging is gonna be fun!"

   She glanced at Sierra, who was standing next to her with the pledge
phone list.

   Sierra just rolled her eyes.  "Easy, Killer," she said.  "Let's get
though the calls first.  Then you can torment and terrorize."

   Sierra scanned down the list and moved to the next name.  "Ok.  On to
the next girl."

   ~~~

   At that exact same moment, Luci slowly awoke from a restless night's
sleep.  Her body ached and her head throbbed.  The disappointments she'd
suffered in the past few weeks, not to mention seeing Tamryn just the day
before, were nearly unbearable.

   As she opened her eyes, she glanced at the clock.  "Oh hell," she
whispered.  "I have class in a few hours."

   Then she paused.  "And I have Organic Chemistry later on today." She
collapsed back onto her pillow.  "That means I have to see Monica."

   She grimaced as her stomach tightened.  "I don't want to see anyone from
that sorority.  In fact, I don't want to see anyone."

   She looked over at her desk and noticed that her textbooks had barely
been opened over the past few days.  "I've skipped how many classes lately?
And I've been slacking off from studying and it shows.  I've flunked two
tests and four quizzes last week alone."

   She struggled to sit up.  "But I finally went back to class yesterday.
And what happened?  I run into Tamryn!  Some damn luck!"

   However, she resolved that due to her grades falling recently, she would
continue going to her classes and try to get back on track.  As such, she
slowly rose out of bed, her pillow still damp with her tears from the night
before, and lumbered off to the shower.

   ~~~

   At exactly 5:45am, four girls stood silently on the Walter J.  Mathis
Athletic Field.  The trembling quartet had been lined up against the
railing just in front of the stadium bleachers.

   The sun had not yet risen, and a cold, thick, moist haze descended upon
the field.  However, the stark chill in the air didn't make the girls
shiver as much as the sight in front of them.

   In their direct line of vision, sat twenty-two scowling faces perched on
cold, hard steel benches.

   For the next fifteen minutes, the Sisters evaluated the pledges.  Some
of the Sisters made notes while the rest spoke in hushed tones to each
other.  Finally, at exactly 6am, Lina stood and cleared her throat.

   "Ladies.  Allow me to introduce myself.  You used to know me as Lina
Jones.  However, from now on, my name is Dean Terminator.  Which means that
anyone that I don't like?  Is gone!"

   The quartet was frozen in place.

   "I take your silence to mean that realize know I'm dead serious." Lina
said as she paced back and forth in front of the terrified young women.

   "First things first," she announced.  "From now on, until we say
otherwise, each and every one of you must wear all black when in our
presence.  Black hoodies, black sweatpants, black gym shoes and black
socks. That's your new pledge uniform."

   "And get some black draws too," Tamryn cracked from the bleachers.  The
Sisters laughed.

   Lina chuckled as she nodded.  "Actually, yeah.  You'll need that too. 
Black bras and black panties."

   She paused to look at the frightened looks on their faces.  "And you
will always refer to me as Dean Terminator, meaning that you will never
call me by my first name."

   She continued to pace back and forth.  "And these ladies," she said as
she pointed to the Sisters on the bleachers, "these are your Big Sisters.
Each one of them has a specific Big Sister name.  It's your responsibility
to find out what it is."

   Lina looked around.  "And you will also be meeting some of our Alumni
Chapter members.  You will call them by `Your Ladyship.' Again, you'll have
to find out on your own what their individual names are."

   She paused.  "Got that?  Undergraduates are Big Sisters.  Alumni are
Your Ladyship.  Is that clear?"

   The pledges nodded.

   "Good." Then Candace stepped up and handed Lina four large, sealed
manila envelopes.  Lina held the envelopes up.  "Come and get these, but
don't open them yet." The girls rushed to take their envelopes.

   "Inside you'll find everything you need for your first few days of
Hell." Lina looked around.  "First you'll find a list of all the items
you'll need to purchase by the time we see you next.  Items like your black
pledge uniform, your pledge diary and your pledge bookbag.  I expect you to
carefully check the list and get each and every one of those items."

   Lina paused to let everything sink in before she continued.  "In those
envelopes, you'll also find our Sorority history and the rest of the
pledging information.  You'll need to learn everything on those pages as
soon as possible.  Study every single piece of paper and know it all by
heart because you'll be required to attend nightly pledging sessions where
we'll test your knowledge of our Sorority."

   "And we'll test you hard," Brandi laughed.

   "All right, pledges," Lina said.  "Go ahead and open your envelopes and
pull out the pencil and pad of paper." She waited while the pledges fumbled
with the envelopes.  "Make sure you take careful notes," Lina ordered,
"because I'm going to let each of the Sisters explain just what they expect
out of you."

   The quartet stood silently but wrote furiously as each of the Sorors
took turns pacing in front of them and barking various orders and
instructions.  Each Sister was quite particular about what she wanted from
the pledges.  Most wanted the pledges to give them gifts such as cute
trinkets, candies and other treats.  However, every single Sister wanted
the pledges to know the Sorority History inside and out and show the utmost
respect for their organization.

   After the last Sister was done, Lina again took her place in front of
the pledges.  Then she stepped right up to Nadia and stared her in the eye
until the girl lowered her gaze.  Then she walked past the other three
girls, glaring at them as she passed by.  Then she took her place directly
in front of them.  "But let me say this now," Lina said.  "If anyone
doesn't think they're ready for this, speak now or forever hold your
peace."

   The four stood silent.

   "One last chance," Sierra chided.  "We don't have time for any
bullshitters.  If you're not serious, then just bounce now."

   No one moved.

   "Good," Lina said.  "Now.  As you all know, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. 
And fortunately for you, the Sisters have been gracious enough to let you
spend the weekend with your families.  However, first thing Monday morning,
you need to report to the House at exactly 7am.  And you will have all of
the required items on your list.  And you will be dressed in your black
pledge uniforms.  And you will not be late," she scowled as she took one
last look at the new pledges.  "Now.  You're dismissed.  Now go!"

   The quartet scrambled off the bleachers and off the field.  Once they
were out of sight, all the Sisters broke out into laughter.

   "Dean Terminator?  What in the hell was that?" Candace joked.  "You know
you don't have a mean bone in your body!"

   Lina grinned.  "I know, right?  But I always wanted to be a bad girl. 
I'm tired of being nice!"

   Sierra smiled at her friend.  "Nice is good.  Nice is...you know, nice."

   Lina cut a glance at Sierra and rolled her eyes.  "Anyway ladies, you've
all got the updated pledge schedule.  I want to have a quick House meeting
tonight at 6 so we can discuss Monday's events.  After that, everyone's
free for the Thanksgiving weekend, ok?"

   All the Sisters nodded.

   "Good," Lina said as she checked her watch.  "Ok.  Now it's almost 7am.
I have to get to dance rehearsal, then I have class at 8.  I'll catch y'all
later." She quickly strode away.

   Sierra sighed as she watched Lina walk quickly away.  "When am I going
to get my girl back?" she whispered.

   ~~~

   Later that afternoon, Luci sat in Organic Chemistry, her chin resting in
her hand, barely paying attention to the professor.

   Monica Knight, sitting a couple of seats away, stared at her curiously.
Ever since Luci had been turned down by the sorority, her attendance in
class was sporadic at best.  "I'm going to talk to her after class," Monica
whispered.  "If I can get through to her, then maybe she'll get back on
track after the holiday."

   Thirty minutes later, the professor dismissed the class and all of the
students filed out of the room.  Monica quickly gathered her books and
stopped Luci as she was walking out.

   "Hey Luci?  What's going on?  I've notices you've been spaced out in
class lately.  That is, when you've been in class.  What's wrong?"

   Luci stared at her incredulously.  "What do you think's been wrong?"

   Monica shrugged.  "Fine.  I deserved that.  But for real, you've been
skipping class.  And you're on scholarship, right?"

   "Yeah."

   "Now I know you're disappointed.  But can you really afford to wreck
your grades?"

   Luci sniffed.  "No..."

   "Well, pull it together, girl." Then she grabbed Luci's hand.  "Come on.
Let's talk for a minute."

   Monica led Luci out of the classroom and down to the student lounge. 
She motioned for Luci to take a seat on one of the plush chairs.  She
pulled up another chair and sat right in front of Luci.

   "Hon, I know this may be hard for you to hear, but did Sierra talk to
you?"

   Luci nodded.

   "Well, when it came time for us to vote on you, most of us were pretty
conflicted." She took Luci's hands in hers.  "See, when I see you, I see
such a beautiful young woman.  But I really don't think you see that in
yourself."

   Monica reached out and gently stroked Luci's hair.  "To be a member of
this Sorority, or of any group, you have to be strong.  And sure of
yourself.  And you have to be willing to do the things you have to do, even
if you don't feel like doing it.  Like class.  So yes, I know you're
disappointed.  But that's no reason to skip class.  Your scholarships
depend on you getting excellent grades.  So you can't just check out just
because you're upset."

   She waited until Luci nodded before continuing.  "To be a Rho Sigma Tau
means that you're the best of the best.  With the most strength.  And
integrity.  You have to be a strong, honest woman.  So this cutting class?
It's just not acceptable.  Not to us, and not to you either.  Understand?"

   Luci nodded, sniffling.

   "Now I'm going to do something silly," Monica said as she squeezed
Luci's hands.  "Ok.  Repeat after me.  I'm a strong, confident woman with
integrity."

   Luci shook her head.

   "No, Luci.  Please," Monica urged.  "I'm a strong, confident woman with
integrity."

   Luci struggled to open her mouth.  "I'm a strong...confident...woman
with...with..."

   Monica edged her on.  "Come on.  It's ok.  I'm here.  Just say it.  I'm
a strong confident woman with integrity."

   Suddenly, Luci's eyes began to water.  Then she broke down and began to
weep.  She put her head in her hands and her entire body shook with sobs.

   Monica's eyes widened.  "Luci?  Luci, I'm sorry!  I was only trying to
help!"

   Luci's chest heaved with long, mournful sobs.  "Oh Monica!"

   Monica was stunned as she tried to figure out what to say to console
her. "What is it, Luci?  Talk to me!"

   "Monica, I'm sorry!  I'm so, so sorry!" Luci said as she dissolved into
fresh, hot tears.  "Monica, I've done something terrible!  I don't have any
integrity at all!"

   Monica leaned in and wrapped her arms around Luci's sobbing frame. 
"Shhh, Luci.  It's ok."

   She waited patiently while Luci continued crying.  Her painful,
distressing wails struck Monica right in her heart.  Finally, Luci seemed
to be calming down as Monica patted her gently on her back.

   Then Monica pulled back and grasped Luci by her shoulders.  She held
Luci's chin up until they were eye-to-eye.  "Now, Luci, I'm here to help.
But I need you to talk.  Right now!"

   Luci just shook her head.

   Monica wouldn't let go.  "I mean it, Luci.  Tell me exactly what's going
on!  Right now!"

   To be continued...

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