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Chapter 6 - A night at the Tri-Alpha House

As soon as the ceremony ended and the 80 fraternity and sorority members left the room, Tracy ordered her group to kneel so she could take off their blindfolds and handcuffs. The pledges returned the restraints to the black bag. Tracy then ordered the pledges to get some cleaning supplies and to clean up the ceremonial room, to include dusting, vacuuming, washing all the windows, and putting away the benches and podiums.

Tracy then handed a key to the minivan to Bernadette and told her to put the bag on the front seat of the vehicle, lock it up, and come back inside. When she realized that putting the bag in the minivan meant going outside naked, Bernadette made an unfortunate mistake. She had the audacity to question Tracy�s order.

�But, ma�am, I can�t go outside! I don�t have anything on!�

Tracy�s face changed color and her lips tightened. Lisa cringed, because she knew what was coming.

Sure enough, Tracy exploded. She ferociously poked the offender in the chest several times as she shouted:

�When I give you an order, YOU WILL OBEY THAT ORDER! That�s what you do, Pledge! You obey the orders I give you! Just who the hell do you think you are, arguing with me? Just who the FUCK do you think you are, PLEDGE?�

Bernadette, who had not previously seen Tracy in drill-sergeant mode, shook with absolute terror.

�You put that bag, in that car, NOW!�

Without saying another word, Bernadette struggled to put on her shower shoes and raced out the door with the bag. She ran out to the vehicle, deposited the bag on the front seat, and ran back to the house, trying to ignore the whistles of the fraternity guys across the street. She was mortified at being on such public display to a bunch of strangers, but now she had a much worse problem, dealing with Tracy�s explosive temper. She ran back to join her companions, who were standing together in a line.

�ALL FOUR OF YOU, FRONT-LEANING REST POSITION, NOW!!!�

Lisa and Cherine instinctively dropped to the floor. Bernadette and Kathleen took a second longer, a second too long. Tracy ordered them back up and to �try it again�. The women rose and fell several times before having to do two sets of 10 four-count pushups. By the time Tracy finished with the second set the pledges were beyond exhausted and their bodies were trembling from muscle fatigue.

�Stand up, all of you!�

The four pledges scrambled to get to their feet and snap to attention. Bernadette continued to tremble from fear.

�I was gonna take you back to the Four-Beta House so you could get some sleep, but because you�ve been insubordinate, I�ve decided that�s not gonna happen for a while! Obviously you guys are gonna need some discipline! I�m gonna put you to work! You�ll be starting by cleaning up this room, but that�s just the beginning! You�re also gonna be cleaning the kitchen, the laundry room and every bathroom in this house! Pledge Lisa, you�re in charge!�

�Yes, ma�am!�

Tracy suddenly walked out of the sitting room, only to return a minute later with a leather paddle and a small regulation book.

�I�m gonna make sure you pledges do your jobs right! This�� she held up the guide book, ��is the regulation manual for Tri-Alpha pledges for building clean-up! Lot�s of stuff in here, little nit-picky details, you�ll need to worry about! And I�m gonna give you good reason to worry! I�m inspecting tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m., and for each violation of these regulations, Pledge Lisa gets two swats on the butt.� If I find 50 violations, guess what? That�s 100 swats and one very sore Pledge Lisa!�

The pledges recoiled from the unfairness of Tracy�s threat. Why Lisa? She didn�t do anything�

Tracy grabbed Bernadette by the wrist and led her to one of the benches.

�Put your hands on the bench, little Miss Combative!�

Bernadette did as she was told, bending over and exposing her trembling white bottom.

�Take a good look, Pledges! Let me give you a demo of what I�m talking about!�

POP!�POP!� POP!� POP!� POP!� POP!�

Tracy landed 10 hard swats on Bernadette�s bare backside, quickly changing the color from white to solid pink. Tears ran down Bernadette�s cheeks.

With that Tracy left and the pledges set to work cleaning the sitting room. Lisa picked up the manual and organized the others to sweep the carpet and clean the windows while she dusted. Cherine and Kathleen gave Bernadette very hostile looks, while she looked away and started to cry. Upon noticing her companions turning on poor Bernadette, Lisa ordered the group to stop for a minute.

�Look you three. We need to get something straight here. You can�t go blaming each other, because that�s exactly what Tracy�s looking for. She�s testing us, to see if we�re gonna turn on each other. You want to screw this up, then you go right ahead and blame each other.�

Bernadette began crying in earnest. Lisa ignored her and continued.

�A couple of things to remember. If you�re stupid enough to think we were gonna get any sleep tonight, all I can say is that I feel real sorry for you!. Didn�t you see that she was carrying an overnight bag when we came over here? What�s that tell you?�

Lisa paused to let that sink in and continued: �Pledges never get any sleep on the first night. That�s part of the hazing. They do the same thing to every group. I can tell you, for a fact, if it hadn�t been Bernadette, it would�ve been something else.�

Bernadette was still crying, but Lisa could tell she about to calm down and that the crisis was passing. Cherine had a question.

�Lisa, what do we gotta do, to keep you from getting paddled? I mean�it�s not fair that��

�It�s not fair, but I�m gonna get paddled, no matter what you guys do. That�s between me and Tracy. Just do what you can and skip the guilt trips. None of us is getting any sleep, so we might as well try our best to clean this place up.�

When the women finished cleaning the sitting room, they proceeded to the kitchen. Their hearts sank when they saw what a mess it was. Normally the Tri-Alpha sophomores were responsible for cleaning the kitchen whenever no pledges were available, but, as of that night, pledges were available and the guys could take the night off. They left untouched a day�s worth of dirty dishes and cooking utensils for a fraternity of 40 members and their 40 female guests. The condition of the kitchen confirmed Lisa�s theory that Tracy never had any intention of taking the pledges back to the Four-Beta house that night. She knew the kitchen had been left that way on purpose; because normally there was no way the Tri-Alphas would tolerate such a mess on their property.

Lisa relayed her observation to the others and then ordered her companions to empty the two dishwashers and pack them with as many plates and glasses as they would hold. While the dishwashers were running she took out several bags of trash. She ordered Cherine and Bernadette to start scrubbing pots and Kathleen to clean the two stovetops.

It took several trips to clear out all the trash from the kitchen. Lisa�s treks to the dumpster took her outside where she could see the pool area. Tracy, Heather, and a couple other Four-Betas were playing water volleyball against several Tri-Alphas. Everyone in the pool was naked, since swimsuits were prohibited in the pool areas of both the sorority and the fraternity. It was strange to see Heather and Tracy, who behaved in such a fearsome manner towards the pledges, relaxing and splashing in the water just like any of the other women of the sorority.

Lisa returned to the kitchen, consulted the manual, and ordered her companions to organize the first batch of clean dishes to put away. As the others put the dishes back on their shelves, Lisa loaded a second batch into the dishwashers, packing them in as tightly as possible. Now they were making some progress, with half the dishes put away and the other half in the dishwashers. There were still plenty of pots and pans to scrub, but it now seemed there no longer was enough work in the kitchen to keep all four women busy.

Lisa suddenly had an idea. It was a bit risky, but as she looked at the exhausted faces of her companions, figured the risk was worth taking. She remembered seeing a small side room near the Pledge Shower that was empty except for a small bed. She decided to tell Kathleen and Cherine to go in there, close the door, and get two hours of sleep. Meanwhile Lisa and Bernadette would finish up in the kitchen. By that time the kitchen would be done and the four women could start on the bathrooms.

There was absolutely no argument from the two pledges. They crawled into the bed and promptly went to sleep. Lisa and Bernadette chatted as they finished cleaning the pots. Lisa was able to tell Bernadette the story of her first punishment at the hands of Tracy, the screaming fit over her simple request to make sure she understood Tracy�s command to get undressed.

�They�ve had their system set up like this for years. A lot of it they get from the military. That�s why what Tracy�s doing doesn�t really bother me, because she�s just doing her job. I�d bet that to get her position she went off and got trained somewhere.�

�But, I still don�t get it. Why are they doing this to us? And how come they�re trying to get us to fight with each other?�

�The military stuff and the discipline is to get us into shape and make sure we really want to join. They�re using the unfair punishments to test us to see how good we are at sticking up for each other and working together. I�d bet that if we start fighting, they�ll kick us out.�

Lisa knew that something else that was being tested, herself. Somehow, during the first few minutes they interacted, Tracy had picked up on Lisa�s potential for leadership. Tracy was testing Lisa much more than she was testing the others, because she realized that Lisa had a talent for organizing other people and was willing to make personal sacrifices for those under her command. That was the reason she had placed Lisa in charge of the cleanup. How well the cleanup went and how well the pledges were getting along with each other the next morning was the Four-Betas� first big test of her leadership skills.

Within just three hours, the sitting room was completely clean and the kitchen getting close to being clean. Bernadette�s mood had improved dramatically and she no longer felt guilty or frightened. Cherine and Kathleen would have a couple of hours of sleep, a luxury denied to Lisa and Bernadette, so hopefully their mood would be better as well. Anyhow, no longer could they say anything against Bernadette, because they had enjoyed two hours of sleep while she and Lisa had continued working.

After two more hours the kitchen was clean. Bernadette poured Lisa and herself some mineral water while Lisa compared the kitchen�s condition with the regulations listed in the manual. By now it was 3:00 in the morning and the pledges only had three more hours to clean the laundry room and the bathrooms. Lisa shook Kathleen and Cherine awake, told them to make the bed, and then headed to the laundry room. For the next hour the women folded a pile of clean sheets and washed several loads of dirty linen. While the sheets were drying the women cleaned the five bathrooms in the house and replaced all the towels. The dirty towels meant at least one more load of laundry, which had to go into the washers while the pledges folded what remained of the sheets.

While the others were hauling towels to the laundry room, Lisa nervously looked at the clock and the inspection manual. She went through the bathrooms and moved a few things around to make sure the rooms were in compliance with the instructions in the book. She glanced at the clock yet again. It was 4:45 a.m. We might just make it, she thought to herself.

The towels were not dry until 5:45 a.m. The women worked feverishly to fold them and get them back into the linen closet. Lisa and Bernadette ran the towels upstairs to put away while Cherine and Kathleen tidied up the laundry room. At 5:59 Lisa grabbed the manual and directed her companions to return to the empty sitting room.

The four pledges knelt together as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was exactly 6:00 a.m. when Tracy and Heather entered the sitting room. Tracy was carrying her leather paddle and a notebook.

�Good morning, pledges.�

�Good morning, ma�am.�

�Are the rooms I asked you to clean ready for inspection?�

�Yes, ma�am.�

�OK, let�s check them out. Everyone on your feet!�

Tracy handed the paddle to Heather and the opened her notebook. She carefully moved about the sitting room, running her finger over various surfaces, looking for dust. She didn�t find anything until she reached up to the wooden coverings protecting the tops of the draperies. Lisa cringed, because no one had thought about those coverings. Tracy documented the violation in her notebook and continued looking around the room. She found another violation, a bottle of window cleaner that had been overlooked and left behind one of the curtains. She noted the second violation before the women left to inspect the kitchen.

The inspection was completed within 20 minutes, just as some of the early risers in the fraternity were starting to get up and use the bathrooms. Tracy noted a total of 18 violations, which would mean 36 swats from the paddle for Lisa. While the other three pledges glanced quietly and apologetically at Lisa, their leader sighed with relief that the number of violations was not considerably more. In reality Tracy and Heather were impressed with Lisa�s performance.

What a contrast between this cleanup test and the one last fall! The inspection from the disorganized cleanup conducted by the previous pledge group (which started with a total of 12 members) had resulted in a total of 79 violations, a fight, finger-pointing among the pledges, multiple paddlings, and two expulsions from the group. With just four members, the summer pledge group had accomplished something that 12 pledges had not been able to accomplish last September.

Tracy called the pledges to attention:

�Pledges! Stand up!�

�Yes, ma�am!�

�Pledge Bernadette!�

�Yes ma�am!�

�Take these keys and bring back the bag you put in the minivan last night!�

�Yes, ma�am!�

Bernadette managed to hide her distress. Tracy�s order required her to run out to the vehicle in the early morning sunlight, unlock it, and retrieve the same cloth bag that had gotten her into so much trouble just 10 hours before. This time however, she knew better than to argue. She put on her shower shoes, ran out the front door, and braved the whistles and cheering from the neighboring frat houses. She quickly pulled the bag out of the minivan and raced back into the house.

Bernadette knelt while Tracy and Heather took out a set of handcuffs and blindfolds. In quick succession they blindfolded all four pledges and cuffed their hands behind their backs. With the assistance of two nearby fraternity members, they led the four pledges into the sitting room where the members of the fraternity were waiting. The Tri-Alphas had returned the benches to the sitting room and had brought in a small sturdy table. They were sitting quietly when the four pledges came in. Tracy�s voice rang out:

�Pledges! You will kneel, except Pledge Lisa! Pledge Lisa, you will step forward!

Lisa now faced yet another test, her first physical punishment at the hands of Heather. The Four-Beta Sergeant-at-Arms secretly would have liked to cancel Lisa�s paddling, but knew that she couldn�t. The first night�s cleanup was an important test for the pledges, and the post-cleanup paddling was part of the tradition. The paddling was a public event to be conducted in front of the fraternity, so canceling it was out of the question. Heather sighed as she unfolded a pre-printed punishment letter to fill in Lisa�s name and the numbers �18� and �36�.

Tracy took off Lisa�s blindfold and handcuffs. She ordered Lisa to kneel and passed her the letter.

�Read this out loud, Pledge Lisa!�

Lisa read:

"Last night, I, Pledge Lisa Campbell, was placed in charge of cleaning the sitting room, the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the laundry room of the Tri-Alpha Fraternity House. My assistants and I were given an entire night to bring the aforementioned rooms into compliance with the Tri-Alpha Fraternity Maintenance Code and Regulation Guide. I was given a copy of the guide so there would be no doubt concerning what we needed to do.

Unfortunately, due to my own laziness and negligence, my group failed to fully comply with the maintenance guide. An inspection of the facilities uncovered 18 violations of the conditions set out by the guide for the areas we cleaned.

I understand and agree with the Four-Beta philosophy that dictates that negligence is an unacceptable human deficiency and that any manifestation of negligence needs to be severely punished. Because I allowed 18 instances of negligence to go uncorrected, I am requesting to be appropriately disciplined.

What I am asking for, specifically, is to be struck two times on my naked bottom for each instance of negligence I overlooked when my companions failed to properly clean the areas assigned to my group. I am requesting that the Four-Beta Sergeant-at-Arms administer my punishment. I also am requesting that, because my negligence caused the Tri-Alpha Fraternity House to not be properly cleaned, that the full membership of the fraternity be present to witness my punishment."

Lisa swallowed and looked up at Heather, who was holding Tracy�s notebook and the leather paddle.

�Very well, Pledge Lisa. We appreciate your honesty and will grant you the punishment that you have requested. However, we will insist that the members of the Tri-Alpha Fraternity understand exactly why you need to be punished. I have numbered each instance in which you failed to comply with the Tri-Alpha Fraternity Maintenance Code and Regulation Guide. Before I administer the strokes for each violation, you will read that violation out loud to everyone in the room. After I swat you two times, you will read the next violation, and again I will swat you. Do you understand and agree?�

�Yes, ma�am. I�I understand and agree.�

Heather set the notebook on the table facing upwards so Lisa could read it. Then she instructed the pledge to hold onto the edges of the table, spread her legs about shoulder-width apart, and arch her back to make her bottom stick out properly. She passed her hand over Lisa�s bottom a couple of times before positioning herself and touching the paddle to Lisa�s right bottom-cheek.

�Please begin, Pledge Lisa.�

�Item One � There was dust present on the drapery boxes of the ceremonial room, in violation of page 22 of the guidebook.�

POP!�POP! Heather landed a cruel swat against each bottom cheek, and then positioned herself for Lisa�s second offence.

Lisa bit her lip as the stinging mounted, and then continued:

�Item Two � There was a bottle of window cleaner left on a windowsill of the ceremonial room, in violation of page 23 of the guidebook.�

POP!�POP!

Lisa took a deep breath and read:

�Item Three � The top shelf of the kitchen glass rack was not dusted, in violation of page 11 of the guidebook.�

POP!�POP!

�Item Four � Lint buildup at the base of the refrigerator was not cleaned, in violation of page 10 of the guidebook.�

POP!�POP!�

Each item from the list added to both Lisa�s physical pain and also to her humiliation. To listen to the way she was forced to recite the violations one by one, anyone listening would have thought she had done something truly horrific. By the fifteenth violation and resulting swats Lisa was starting to cry. Her bottom was a dark, angry-looking pink and swollen. Her tears and crying made the reading of the final three items on the list very difficult.

As hard as the punishment was for Lisa, it was even harder for her three companions. Their blindfolds prevented them from seeing what was happening to their fellow pledge, but they could hear everything clearly. All three of them felt that Lisa was taking punishment that they should be taking instead and were consumed with guilt.

Once Heather finished paddling Lisa she put on her cuffs and blindfold and instructed her to kneel with her three companions. Lisa continued to cry, partly from the pain, partly from the humiliating experience she had just endured, and partly because the lack of sleep was starting to break down her resistance.

The hazing of the four pledges had begun in earnest.

Lisa�s companions realized something important as they knelt waiting for her crying to die down. No formal agreement was ever discussed between them, but within 24 hours of starting the initiation process Cherine, Kathleen, and Bernadette had each decided that Lisa would be the leader of the pledge group. From that moment the three pledges felt obligated to do whatever she told them to do.

The Pledge Mistress - Chapter 7