Back to Chapter 37
Chapter 38 � The Four-Beta oath
Lisa celebrated the first day of August by taking off the splint
protecting her injured finger. The university intern advised her to �go
easy� on her hand for a few more days, but added that she could resume
most physical activity right away. Tracy advised Lisa that she expected
her to go back to doing normal sit-ups and push-ups. Lisa�s volleyball
training now could include practicing serving, but returning to spiking
the ball and conducting saves still was several days away because Lisa�s
hand still needed some more time to completely heal.
During the final push to learn the Four-Beta rules and history, it was
Kathleen who took the lead among the pledges. She drilled the others to
make sure there would be no problems during the final panel interview,
impressing Lisa with her performance. Kathleen, who always had quietly
stood in the background of the pledge group, finally had the chance to
excel and gain the respect of Bernadette and Cherine. During the final
days of pledging, the three freshmen truly were working together as a
team, each member of the group bringing her own strengths to the group.
When finals week arrived, Lisa realized how many lives had depended on
her over the past month. The other members of her pledge group had
excelled in their training duties, largely because she had been there to
motivate them throughout the most difficult periods of the summer
semester. All three of her pledging companions had difficult
personalities and totally different life experiences upon entering the
sorority, but after three months of intense pressure and shared hardship
they had become close friends. Yes, even Bernadette and Kathleen were
getting along, and who would have thought that would have happened at
the beginning of the summer? Now, under the leadership of Bernadette,
the core members of the freshman class soon would take their proper
place in the Four-Beta house.
As Bernadette took charge of the pledge group and replaced Lisa as their
de facto leader, Lisa reflected that already she was beginning to become
somewhat separated from the others. She was not a freshman, thus she
would not be part of the freshman class. Once she became a member of the
sorority, she would become one of the sophomores and hang out more with
them than with the freshmen. Of course, the one exception would be
Kathleen. Although Lisa would not be hanging out with the other freshmen
very much, she would spend as much time as possible with her lover,
training her and comforting her.
----------
Lisa became an invaluable asset to Ruth Burnside as papers and tests
flooded into the office to be corrected and graded. She could tell that
Burnside was satisfied with having chosen her as her student aide and
looked forward to continuing working with her in the fall. The professor
dropped hints that soon Lisa would be assisting her with research.
Assuming she performed well with the research, eventually Lisa would
take Mark�s place as her primary teaching assistant, once he graduated
with his Ph.D. Lisa realized that, at age 19, she already had her place
within the Economics Department.
As the semester drew to a close, Lisa continued working naked in
Burnside�s office and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. She did not much care
for standing at attention in Burnside�s �position of submission and
respect� and was looking forward to ending particular detail once she
swore in. However, she knew that she would really miss the comfort of
not wearing any clothing while working at her desk.
A strange thought crossed Lisa�s mind. Perhaps, during the fall
semester, it would be possible for her to continue working at her desk
in the nude. What she wanted was not to be required to strip, but
instead to persuade Burnside to make her job clothing optional. She
would slip on a dress if there were any visitors in the office, but have
it off whenever alone or just with the professor. If she could be naked
or dressed as she pleased, casually treating her clothing in the same
way she would treat a sweater or jacket, that would be ideal. Knowing
how much the professor enjoyed looking at her body and her over-all
tolerance of personality quirks, she suspected that Burnside would go
along with her request if approached in the right way and at the right
moment.
Lisa decided to address the issue of her attire the day the professor
gave the last of her finals. Both women had spent their day hard at work
with grading, but finally Burnside decided to take a break and invited
her student to lunch in the fancy restaurant on the top floor of the
Student Center. Burnside was in particular good humor as the two women
chatted about the upcoming fall semester. When the topic of conversation
moved towards Lisa's swearing in and the end of her status as a pledge,
the professor commented:
"You know, one thing I'll miss is your pledge uniform. Definitely that
added a bit of fun to the office over the summer."
"Dr. Burnside, about that...I was kinda wondering..."
"Wondering what?"
"Well, you know that I'm sort of a nudist, and I don't like wearing
clothes...I mean...I wear clothes on campus because I have to...but I
really prefer having my clothes off whenever I can."
"OK, so what are you getting at?"
"I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me...you know...continue working
like I was over the summer...I mean like...when no one else is in the
office..."
"In other words, you want to continue working in the nude?"
"Yes...I mean like...when no one else is around...I mean...I'd keep a
dress hanging next to my desk and put it on whenever anyone comes in..."
The professor thought for a moment.
"It'd have to be a dress you can slip over your head, something you
could put on in just a couple of seconds, no zippers or buttons."
"Like the dress I wore at the beginning of the summer?"
"That'd work."
"So, you're OK with it?"
"Lisa, just so there's no misunderstanding, I want you to tell me, in
your own words, exactly what you want."
The student took a deep breath.
"Dr. Burnside, I'd appreciate it if you'd allow me to not wear my
clothes when I'm in your office. I�d like to work naked, like I did over
the summer."
"Alright, you have my permission."
Then the professor gave Lisa a mischievous smile:
�Actually it�ll make things more convenient for me. Whenever you screw
up and I have to put you over my lap, I won�t have to wait for you to
get undressed.�
Lisa�s heart skipped a beat, as she wondered how serious Burnside�s last
comment was. Anyhow, it was done. She had her boss�s permission to
continue working in the nude.
----------
Finals week brought very good news to the Four-Beta house and to Lisa in
particular. The two failing juniors did amazingly well on their
economics finals, just good enough to salvage their class grades and get
a �C-� from Burnside for the semester. They made it, just barely, and in
doing so saved themselves from academic probation and Shannon from a
huge embarrassment. The other members of Lisa�s study group also did
quite well on their finals and credited their group leader with helping
keep their grade-point averages from falling.
Even more important to Lisa and Tracy was the fate of the two pledge
prospects, which entirely depended on whether or not they could pass
their freshman classes. On Thursday afternoon Tracy, the three freshmen
pledges, and the two guests returned to the sorority house in very high
spirits, cheering and waving test papers. Brittany and Erin had passed
all of their summer classes with low �C�s�. Obviously �C�s� were not
grades normally acceptable to the Four-Beta sorority, but considering
how badly the two guests had been doing in class just three weeks
before, merely passing was a huge accomplishment. Both girls got on the
phone and excitedly called their parents with the good news. Parents
usually are not thrilled to find out their daughters got �C�s� in all
their classes, but in the case of Brittany and Erin, what they had just
achieved was a big accomplishment. In just three weeks they had salvaged
their semester and narrowly missed flunking out of the university.
----------
On Friday, August 12, the final day of the semester, Tracy and the
pledges returned to the sorority house with their complete grades. The
entire group, even Lisa with her more difficult classes from Burnside,
had straight �A�s�. Tracy called Alexandra and asked her to �get the
room set up�.
Upon returning to the house, Tracy and her group stripped for the last
time as pledges returning from class. Tracy then led her group into the
sitting room, where Alexandra, the other three remaining officers were
sitting at a large table, and the seniors were standing in formal gowns.
Also present were the two pledge prospects, who had been invited to
watch so they could learn more about what would be expected from them as
pledges.
The Pledge Mistress motioned with a slight gesture of her hand that her
pledges were to kneel. Once they were kneeling, she stepped in front of
her group and stood at attention.
�President Alexandra!�
�Yes, Pledge Mistress Tracy!�
�I request permission to submit my pledge group�s academic performance
to the officers of the Four-Beta Sorority, as verification they have
proven themselves as scholars!�
�Permission granted, Pledge Mistress! Please step forward!�
Tracy presented the grades to her fellow officers. Alexandra examined
each grade sheet and passed it to the other three women sitting at the
table. Then she took four certificates out of an envelope and uncapped a
stamp. Lisa realized the documents were official Four-Beta membership
certificates. To be a valid proof of sorority membership, the papers had
to have three stamps placed on the bottom: academic performance,
physical fitness, and knowledge of the history and protocol of the
Four-Beta Sorority.
The president called each pledge to the table to verify that her grade
sheet accurately reflected her academic performance for the semester.
Upon hearing �yes, President Alexandra� the sorority leader stamped her
certificate as verification she had "proven herself as a scholar�.
Alexandra decided to take care of the panel interview next, but would
leaving the PT test for the following morning. The formal vote of
admittance would have to be delayed until Saturday evening, but that
hardly mattered because it was a formality. Alexandra decided to hold
the formal vote at 9:00, just before the swearing in ceremony at
midnight.
�Pledge Mistress Tracy!�
�Yes, President Alexandra!�
�Have your pledges properly learned the rules, protocol, and history of
the Four-Beta Sorority?�
�Yes, President Alexandra!�
�Very well. You will choose one member of your group to converse with
us. Tell the others to wait in the pool area until called.�
�Yes, President Alexandra! Pledge Kathleen!�
�Yes, Pledge Mistress Tracy!�
�You will demonstrate your knowledge of the rules, protocol, and history
of the Four-Beta Sorority to the officers and seniors! Pledge Lisa,
Pledge Bernadette, and Pledge Cherine, please exit to the pool and wait
until you are summoned!�
Tracy had chosen Kathleen to go first, partly because she knew the
material better than her fellow pledges, and partly so she wouldn�t have
a chance to get nervous while waiting to face the panel.
The shyest member of the pledge group trembled as she stood before the
officers, but her performance was flawless. The Social Director, curious
to see how much the pledge really did know, asked some rather obscure
questions, but always got correct answers. After 30 minutes, Alexandra
stood up and congratulated Kathleen.
�You can be proud of yourself. You got a perfect score. You�re the first
pledge I�ve ever seen who�s made it through the panel interview with no
mistakes.�
Kathleen forced a smile, but Tracy could tell that she was becoming more
and more nervous. She was very relieved when the pledge left the room
and would have a chance to calm down. Anyhow, Pledge Kathleen now had
the second of the three required stamps on her certificate.
The other three pledges took advantage of the delay to drill each other
on the Four-Beta material. Kathleen exited the house so nervous that she
still was shaking, but it was obvious she had passed. Lisa hugged her as
Bernadette left to face the panel.
That night, the summer group slept on their cots as pledges for the very
last time. Tracy, determined to keep her promise to the very end, slept
with them.
----------
The PT test was the final task that needed to be completed by the
pledges, but it also turned out to be the easiest. The Four-Beta
officers, the four pledges, and the two pledge prospects walked to the
university stadium for the test. Polk was there to let them in,
obviously hoping to see one or more of the Four-Betas out of uniform.
Unfortunately for him, for once there was nothing out of the ordinary,
just four young women in shorts running around the track for 30 minutes
and doing push-ups and sit-ups. The pledges tested and received their
final PT scores. The group left the stadium after about an hour to cross
campus and return the Four-Beta house.
And, that was it. Lisa, Bernadette, Cherine, and Kathleen had passed the
final task that stood between them and full-membership in the Four-Beta
Sorority. The group returned to the sitting room and Alexandra put the
third and final stamp on each membership certificate. With that the
pledges were released for the afternoon. They would not be allowed to
get dressed or leave the sorority house until the swearing-in ceremony,
but were free to relax in the back yard, sleep in the guestroom, make
phone calls, or use the Internet. The freshmen immediately headed for
the swimming pool, but Tracy pulled Lisa aside to go to the sorority
office and look over the training record of Brittany and Erin.
Now that the pledge challenges were completed, both Tracy and Lisa were
in reflective moods. Before dealing with the pledge prospects, Lisa
needed to talk about her own feelings, about her pending transition from
pledge to full member.
It was strange to think, that after nearly three months, Lisa and her
companions would finally be allowed to come and go as they pleased, wear
clothing in the sorority house, and above all, sleep in normal beds with
sheets and covers. No longer would they have to address everyone as
�ma�am�, nor kneel in front of anyone. It was a very weird feeling, to
still be in the Four-Beta House but suddenly be treated as an equal and
have all that freedom. How best to use that new freedom and enjoy her
time in a productive way weighed heavily on Lisa�s mind:
Tracy responded:
�You�ve just grasped the most important thing I wanted to teach you this
summer. I want you to enjoy all the small good things in your life and
appreciate what's been given to you. A person doesn�t normally
appreciate having choices and freedom until they�re taken away. That�s
one of the points we�re trying to make with the Four-Beta pledge
program. Make you appreciate all of the details in your life, all of the
trivial liberties you normally take for granted. I�ve got an example of
what I�m talking about, from my own past. A couple of years ago, I spent
11 weeks in Basic Training for the Army. That was 11 weeks that I never
had a chance to be alone, never had a chance to so much as have a cup of
coffee or even take a piss without some drill sergeant yelling at me to
�hurry up�. I never got a chance to read a book, or watch the news, or
sleep without getting woken up, or just go for a walk by myself. I never
thought about any of those things before Basic. After those 11 weeks I
appreciated a lot more in my life. To this day I still appreciate all
the stuff I missed in Basic Training. And that�s the lesson I wanted to
pass along to you.�
��and the lesson we�ll be passing to Brittany and Erin�and the fall
pledge group��
�Exactly.�
Tracy paused as she looked at Lisa�s latest entries for Brittany and
Erin. She commented:
�Of course, you know that you�re not gonna have as much free time as you
thought. Your fellow pledges are gonna get to relax. Not you. After you
swear in tonight, you�re gonna hit the ground running. Remember Brittany
and Erin?�
Tracy tapped the computer screen displaying their training records:
�Tomorrow I want them to sign their pledge contracts. Now that they�ve
passed their classes and are eligible to pledge, we�ve got to get their
status in the Four-Beta house legalized ASAP. For one thing, I want to
bring them under our health coverage plan so they can get some
counseling about their drinking. We�ve also got to finalize their
separation from their old sorority. You know the other sororities are
still trying to force us to give them back, and President Alexandra has
had to put up a real fight to keep them with us. Once they�re signed up
as pledges, I think that�ll take a lot of the pressure off her, because
once a pledge has signed a contract we can�t give her up, even if we
wanted to. Right now they don�t have any legal status with us. Once they
sign the pledge contract, they will. You follow me so far?�
�Yes.�
�Here�s the deal as far as you�re concerned. Since I don�t know who�s
gonna be taking my job as Pledge Mistress in the fall, I need to put
your name on their contracts as �acting Pledge Mistress�. Until further
notice, I need you to be charge of those two, and I want to formalize
that arrangement on paper.�
��until the new Pledge Mistress gets elected?�
��until I decide they no longer need you as their mentor. To be honest,
I don�t know when that�ll be. Right now you�re the person for the job,
and the reason I say that is not only because of their improvement, but
also your training log entries. So far you�ve done a very good job
assessing their needs and documenting their progress. I couldn�t have
done it any better. It�s obvious you give a damn about them, so until
further notice, starting tomorrow morning their training�s gonna be your
show.�
With that Lisa and Tracy went to the pool. They sat down next to each
other in chaise lounges in the shade, enjoying the peaceful hot summer
afternoon. The three freshmen were in the pool with the two pledge
prospects and several sophomores, playing an impromptu game of water
volleyball. Lisa glanced over at the Pledge Mistress, only to see that
she had fallen asleep.
I wonder how much sleep she�s gotten over the summer, wondered Lisa to
herself. A lot less than us, that�s for sure.
With that Lisa opened the Pledge Mistress manual to a chapter titled
�Pledge discipline, motivation, and morale.� She started reading, in
preparation for the huge responsibility that awaited her within just 24
hours.
----------
At 9:00 that night the entire membership of the sorority crowded into
the sitting room for the formal vote that would bring four new members
into the sorority. Lisa was surprised that the women were wearing casual
clothing, but later found out there would be a break afterwards to
prepare for the swearing-in ceremony at midnight. Once the women were
seated, Tracy led her pledges single-file to the president's podium.
Like her pledges, Tracy was still naked.
The pledges lined up on the right side of the chapter president and
stood quietly while Tracy summarized the group's training during the
summer. The sorority's social director read aloud the pledges� grades,
Four-Beta training scores, and their PT scores. She stepped away from
the microphone, turning it back over to the chapter president. Alexandra
gestured towards Lisa:
"I believe that Pledge Lisa Campbell has proven herself and will become
a valued member of our community. Those of you who agree with me, please
raise your hands."
Everyone's hand went up, and with that Lisa was voted into the sorority
as a member-in-full-standing. Alexandra's comment and the unanimous vote
were repeated three more times. Even Kathleen received a unanimous vote.
Maybe she wasn't the most outgoing person, but certainly she had proven
herself with athletics and knowledge of the Four-Beta Sorority. Her
personality not withstanding, she would be made welcome, become part of
a group, and finally find her place in life.
----------
Lisa wondered if the Tri-Alphas would be invited to the swearing-in
ceremony. It turned out that would wouldn�t be, for a very simple
reason. By Four-Beta tradition, for new members to be taken in the
entire membership had to be present, and everyone attending the ceremony
had to be naked. Eighty nude women would be gathered in the sitting
room, which was dimly lit by candelabras placed behind the president�s
podium.
The pledges knelt in the basement for the very last time to allow Tracy
to blindfold them and cuff their hands behind their backs. Elaine and
four sophomores came down the stairs and stood at attention in front of
the Pledge Mistress.
�Pledge Mistress Tracy. The chapter president has informed us that with
you are four women who have qualified to join our community.�
�That is correct, Sophomore Elaine. Please do me the honor of taking
them before President Alexandra and the Four-Beta chapter.�
�Very well, Pledge Mistress, we shall do you that honor.�
A sophomore guided each pledge up the stairs to face the president�s
podium and pushed her into a kneeling position. Once the pledges were in
place, President Alexandra and the other officers walked into the room
and took their places at the podium. Like the pledges and everyone else
about to enter the room, they were completely naked.
The members filed in next, first the seniors, then the juniors, and
finally the sophomores. Brittany and Erin also would be present, but
would have to wear blindfolds and sit in chairs in the back of the room.
They would be allowed to be present at the ceremony, but not watch it.
Like everyone else, they were required to undress before entering the
room.
All of the sorority�s members knelt once they had accommodated
themselves by class. Upon seeing that everyone was kneeling, President
Alexandra rang her antique hand bell and summoned her Pledge Mistress.
�I understand that in this room are four women who have completed the
first part of their life�s journey with the Four-Beta Sorority.�
Tracy knelt.
�Yes, President Alexandra, my four companions have proven themselves
worthy of joining our community.�
�We are pleased to hear that, Pledge Mistress.�
Alexandra then turned her attention to the entire membership.
�We must raise our voices in celebration.�
What happened next was bizarre and somewhat frightening. The sound that
came from the 80 kneeling women was not a chant, or a song, or even a
cheer. Instead it sounded something like an air raid siren or a tornado
warning. It was a long, deep-throated wail that went on for about 10
minutes and did not die down until the members had exhausted their
voices.
When the wail died down, the pledges heard Tracy�s voice.
�President Alexandra and members of the Four-Beta Sorority, my pledges
have earned the right to bear the mark that will end their time of
trial. Their time of trial began with the mark, and will end with the
mark. I request permission to release my companions from their bonds, so
that they may receive the mark and become one with the rest of us.�
�Please release them.�
For the second time the strange wailing filled the room as Tracy took
off the pledges� handcuffs and blindfolds. She tossed the handcuffs to
the side of the room, but handed the blindfolds back to their owners.
Once Tracy removed the final blindfold the wailing abruptly stopped. The
pledges looked up and realized that Alexandra, the other officers, and
everyone else in their sight was naked.
Tracy handed Lisa a pair of scissors.
�Cut your blindfold in half. You don�t need it anymore.�
�Yes, Pledge Mistress Tracy.�
Lisa cut her blindfold and handed the scissors back to Tracy.
Once each pledge had cut her blindfold, Tracy ordered Lisa to stand up,
turn around, and face the members. All those kneeling women made a very
eerie sight, with their bare bodies faintly illuminated by the dim
candlelight.
Tracy picked up her riding crop and positioned herself in front of Lisa.
�Lisa Campbell, to finalize you passage into our community, you must
bear the mark. Do you wish to receive the mark?�
�Yes Pledge Mistress, I wish to receive the mark.�
�Very well, you will kneel before me for the very last time as my
pledge, and you will be marked.�
Lisa did as she was told. She took a deep breath and gripped her knees
as Tracy tapped her with the riding crop. Three strokes on her front
left shoulder, about halfway between her breast and collarbone, was how
her pledging experience began. Three strokes in the same spot was how
her pledging experience would end.
CRACK!
Lisa trembled and winced as a flash of white-hot pain seared into her.
As Tracy waited for the burning to mount before delivering the second
stroke, the sorority members wailed for a third time. Through her pain
Lisa glanced at the faces in her audience, taking comfort in knowing
that everyone in the room had gone through the same initiation ritual.
She took a deep breath and waited for the second stroke�
CRACK!
As the pain rapidly intensified, Lisa put every bit of will she had into
suppressing a scream. However, tears began rolling down her cheeks.
One more...One more...One more and then...
CRACK!
"Uh...Uhhh...."
Lisa gritted her teeth and trembled as the pain continued to mount in
her shoulder. As she continued trying not to scream, the wailing from
her audience intensified. The noise abruptly stopped when Tracy raised
her hand.
"Lisa Campbell. Get off your knees. I no longer have the right to demand
that you kneel before me. You have proven yourself and are now my
equal."
Lisa struggled to her feet, her mind still mostly occupied by the
burning welt rising on her shoulder, that angry patch of red on her skin
that made her eligible to take the final Four-Beta oath.
One by one Lisa's companions went through the same ordeal. Cherine, the
pledge that had been the most frightened at the beginning, made it
through the strokes without a sound, although when she stood up her face
was streaked with tears. Kathleen was the most stoic of the group,
keeping her eyes fixated on her wailing audience and showing no reaction
at all, other than slightly flinching each time the crop made contact.
Bernadette started crying after the second stroke, but managed to hold
her position until Tracy was finished and she was told to stand up.
A few minutes later Alexandra was back at her podium, ready to
administer the oath for new members. The Four-Beta oath somewhat
surprised Lisa. She had expected to have to repeat a lengthy statement
honoring sisterhood or upholding the integrity of the Four-Beta
sorority, but instead the oath was very short:
"As a member of the Four-Beta Sorority, I swear to honor those who came
before me and stood where I'm standing now. I will do so by using the
gifts with which I have been blessed to bear honest witness to the times
in which I live."
To a Four-Beta, the phrase "bear honest witness" was very significant,
because the term entailed an entire lifestyle of doing everything
possible to improve the lives of the people whose lives intersected with
those taking the oath. That included not only a lifetime of speaking
honestly, but also making personal sacrifices for friends, family, and
strangers, developing one's mind and continuing to learn throughout
life, and using any acquired knowledge and skills to fight the strong
and defend the weak.
The Four-Betas did not need an elaborate oath for their members, because
they understood that what mattered most throughout a person's life were
her actions, not her words and promises.
The Pledge Mistress - Chapter 39
