Chapter 36 -- Damage Control

That night news of the double scandal swept through the Four-Beta house.  Alexandra was on the phone for hours, talking to various police officers and the sorority’s lawyer.  The chapter president’s first priority, however, was Pledge Lisa, who had been taken to the university hospital to be treated for a dislocated finger.  Fortunately she had escaped any further physical injuries apart from rope burns and some bruises from being kicked and paddled.

Alexandra’s initial worry was Lisa’s physical condition, but her second concern was her state of mind.  The pledge still was in shock over what had happened and the emotional reaction had not yet set in.  She asked Alexandra some questions that seemed totally irrelevant to her immediate situation, such as what happened to her books and whether or not anyone had told Kathleen where she was.

Finally the chapter president decided to explain what was going to happen to Heather and try to work backwards to the assault on Lisa.  The Four-Beta lawyer was negotiating bail for Heather to secure her release so she could finish her classes.  However, pending resolution of the case she would be removed as Sergeant-at-Arms and banned from entering the Four-Beta house.  Later that night there would be an emergency meeting at the sorority to explain her status and make sure everyone complied with prohibiting her from entering the property.  Also, President Alexandra would insist that any member of the sorority approached by the police was under direct orders to answer any questions as fully and honestly as possible.  What mattered most was the truth.  Once the full story was out, the sorority would deal with the consequences.  Alexandra assumed, quite rightly, that the crisis would pass much more quickly if no one made an effort to conceal any of the facts surrounding the Sergeant-at-Arms’ mistreatment of Pledge Lisa.

Alexandra’s next problem was her own status and future with the Four-Betas.  She felt that she needed to take part of the blame for Heather’s behavior, because she had been Heather’s friend and failed to notice her increasingly abusive behavior towards the pledges.  She had not listened to Tracy’s concerns and had sided with the Sergeant-at-Arms against the Pledge Mistress on several occasions.

"Tracy didn’t think she could trust me, and I hate to admit it, but she was right.  She was right not to trust me, because I really was never very nice to her.  I have no idea how I’m going to make this up to either of you."

Alexandra admitted to Lisa that she had considered quitting as chapter president, because she knew that her lack of judgment had compromised her ability to lead the sorority.  The only reason she had not yet resigned was that she felt she needed to present herself as the public face of the sorority and deflect any media attention by talking to the press on her own.  Also, she now took it for granted Tracy would become the next chapter president.  However, until Tracy and Shannon resolved their legal situations they were not eligible to participate in sorority elections.  Essentially Alexandra had decided to stay on to hold her spot until Tracy was eligible to take it.

Alexandra sat quiet for a few minutes and then stated quietly, "She’ll make a good president.  A lot better than me, that’s for sure."

"There’s nothing wrong with you, ma’am.  I’m not blaming you.  You weren’t there.  You couldn’t have known what was happening."

"But I didn’t do anything that would have stopped it, either.  There’s some stuff I should have seen coming, but I wasn’t paying attention.  I’m more responsible for everything than you think.  I was elected to safeguard everyone in the sorority, and I failed in my duty.  As I said, the only reason I’m not resigning now is I want to make it up to the Four-Beta house by taking the media flak.  Also I’ve got to make sure Pledge Mistress Tracy has a clear shot at winning my position."

"So, speaking of her; what’s gonna happen to Pledge Mistress Tracy?"

"Our lawyer seems pretty sure the disorderly conduct charge will have to be dropped.  It’s obvious she and Shannon didn’t start the fight."  Alexandra smiled slightly.  "Actually, from what the lawyer told me, the police thought the whole thing was extremely funny, all those girls jumping them only to get their butts kicked.  I guess they all were pretty badly busted up.  The first cop on the scene commented that it was like watching one of those old Kung Fu movies, you know, where Jackie Chan is kicking the crap out of a whole bunch of bad guys... but... what else would you expect from Tracy, that she’d actually lose a brawl?"

"No, ma’am.  I couldn’t picture that.  I couldn’t picture her losing a fight."

"Anyhow, you’re done here.  You’ve given your statement to the police?"

"Yes ma’am."

"OK.  Then we’re out of here.  I’ll take you wherever you want to go."

"Uh, ma’am... aren’t we going back to the Four-Beta house?  I’m still a pledge, aren’t I?"

"Yes, you’re still a pledge.  Not for too much longer though.  If anyone’s earned the right to become a full member, it’s you."

Alexandra and Lisa got back to the Four-Beta house just before the sorority’s lawyer returned with Tracy and Shannon.  Kathleen ran up to Lisa and hugged her hard, while Bernadette, Cherine, and Brittany, the newest member of the group, noticed her rope burns, bandaged hand, and the splint on her finger.

The looming crisis over the Sergeant-at-Arms momentarily was overshadowed by a hero’s welcome for Tracy and Shannon.  The two disheveled combatants waved and smiled through their bruises and torn clothing as they walked in with the attorney.  The sitting room erupted into a spontaneous cheer of:

"KICK THEIR ASS!  KICK THEIR ASS!  KICK THEIR ASS!"

Once the cheering died down, a very subdued President Alexandra took her position at the podium.  She gave a summary of what had transpired earlier in the day between the sorority’s Sergeant-at-Arms and Pledge Lisa.  She repeated what she had said earlier to Lisa about her own position in the sorority, that as chapter president ultimately she felt responsible for what had happened.  As she talked, Alexandra’s listeners sat in dumbfounded angry silence.  These scandals happened to other sororities.  Stuff like this wasn’t supposed to happen to the Four-Betas.

The lawyer took the podium next, stating that Heather was out on bail so she could finish her semester.  However, the sorority had requested a restraining order that prohibited her from stepping onto Four-Beta property or talking to anyone except himself, the chapter president, or the chapter vice president.  Under no circumstances was she to have any contact with the pledges, their families, or their professors.  Following the meeting her personal items would be collected and he would deliver them to her, to ensure she had no need or reason to visit the Four-Beta house until her case was resolved.

There was sure to be a scandal, because an entire fraternity had been arrested over the kidnapping of Pledge Lisa.  President Alexandra had decided that she would grant press interviews on a case-by-case basis in an effort to keep reporters from hassling anyone else in the sorority.  Hopefully the scandal would focus more on Heather and her fraternity friends than the Four-Beta’s as a group, given that she had violated her own contract with the sorority and the principles she had sworn to uphold.  President Alexandra would take responsibility for failing to control her friend, but ultimately it was Heather who was to blame for her own actions.

The women agreed with Alexandra that any contact with the press was to be handled exclusively by the chapter president.  If a reporter approached anyone else from the sorority, she was to hand over one of President Alexandra's business cards and tell the media representative to contact the chapter president or sorority attorney.  Alexandra distributed her remaining business cards at the meeting to make sure every member had some.

Alexandra took a deep breath, blinking back some tears.  She commented, "Might as well pass ‘em out and get rid of them.  Next month they won’t mean anything anyway."

Brittany was present at the meeting, dressed in her borrowed shorts and T-shirt.  Tracy assumed that the scandal over Heather’s abuse of Lisa probably would make her reconsider wanting to join the sorority, but quite the opposite was true.  Abuse of pledges was routine in Brittany’s sorority, fully accepted, and certainly not any cause for scandal.  The fact that her new hosts were so shocked by their Sergeant-at-Arm’s behavior indicated that there was nothing normal or routine about what had happened to Lisa.

Once the meeting adjourned and the sorority’s lawyer departed with Heather’s possessions, Tracy took her pledge group to the basement. Brittany would be allowed to observe the pledge group and given the opportunity to see what would be expected of her, should she decide to pledge in the fall.

Brittany’s mouth dropped open when the entire group, including the Pledge Mistress, stripped off their clothes.  The pledges quickly dumped their items in a laundry basket and knelt.  Brittany stared at Tracy in disbelief, wondering whether or not she was expected to get undressed as well.  Tracy waved her finger to warn her to stay dressed.

The Pledge Mistress formally introduced Brittany and explained her provisional status.  She then ordered Pledge Lisa to stand up, shake the newcomer’s hand, and introduce herself by giving her name, her major and academic interests, followed by a summary of her life prior to joining the sorority.  Lisa returned to her kneeling position and Bernadette stood up to introduce herself.

Brittany was taken aback by both the nudity and the military-style discipline of the Four-Beta pledges.  When they stood, they stood straight, absolutely unashamed of their bodies. It was obvious the pledges had long since become accustomed to their strange lifestyle.  She also knew that if she chose to stay with the Four-Betas, within a month she would be standing at attention, in the nude with her hands at her sides.  Brittany found that detail both frightening and fascinating.

Even stranger to Brittany was seeing Tracy, as naked as her charges, address them with absolute authority.  There seemed to be no difference in her mind between being naked and being dressed.  Certainly Tracy’s behavior had not changed.  Her military bearing and harsh manner of speaking were identical to what they had been just a few minutes before, when the Pledge Mistress still was wearing her uniform.  It was as though she didn’t even notice that she was naked and Brittany was still dressed.

Something else surprised Brittany as the minutes passed and she talked to the four pledges.  She began to feel uneasy about being the only clothed person among the six women in the room.  She actually found herself wishing she could take off her clothing, but Tracy’s treatment of her indicated that she would not be expected, or even allowed, to undress until she began formally pledging.  To be naked in the house was to symbolize that the Four-Betas had granted her the opportunity to join their group.  She had not yet been accepted as a potential member.

Although she was not yet a pledge, from the beginning Brittany's new life would extremely regimented.  Along with the push to pass her classes, she needed to begin the difficult process of restoring her health.  Every morning and afternoon she would perform remedial PT, which would consist of stretching and light exercises.  Tracy would give her a meal plan and she would eat in the kitchen.  She would not be allowed to buy food or carry money on campus.  There was one final detail in Brittany's life that would change.  She would be expected to call her parents on a nightly basis and give them updates on her progress.  If she passed her classes, her status in the sorority would change upon signing her formal pledge contract.  Once the contract was signed, she would be issued a pledge uniform, allowed to use the pool, exercise with the sophomores and freshmen, and be required to be naked whenever she was in the sorority house.

Tracy ordered Brittany to sit on one of the cots while she addressed the pledge group concerning changes that would result from the sudden absence of the Sergeant-at-Arms.  Until the end of the summer Tracy would be the only member of the sorority with direct authority over the pledges, because Heather’s position would remain vacant pending the final resolution of her status.  Anyhow, less than three weeks remained of the pledge period.  Tracy flatly announced that, pending the final panel interview, all four members of the pledge group had qualified to become full members of the sorority.  However, she added, "Don't let that go to your heads.  As of now you're still pledges.  I'm only telling you this to let you know there's light at the end of the tunnel."

In the meantime there would be some changes in the pledges' routine.  The first change would be temporary, the shorts worn as part of their uniform.  Instead of their skimpy jogging shorts, Tracy had decided that for the next week her group would wear somewhat longer athletic shorts.  The reason for that change was simple.  Lisa’s backside would be bruised over the next several days, and Tracy saw no need for her injuries to be on display to the entire university.  Once her bruises healed, the pledge group would go back to wearing their normal jogging shorts.  Tracy casually added that Lisa’s days of wearing a thong on campus were over.  Looking hard at Lisa she stated, "Even if you wanted to wear your thong, with me running the show it’s not gonna happen.  It’s a uniform violation, and from this point forward we’re gonna be a bit stricter about the uniforms."

The pledges had expected that, with Heather gone and the threat she presented removed, Tracy might return to her room and resume her life with the privileges of a senior and officer.  However, she decided, along with adhering to the Four-Beta pledge uniform rules, she would continue to live with the pledges and share their daily lives.  That included being naked whenever she was in the house and sleeping on a cot in the basement uncovered.

Brittany, because she was not a pledge, would not be sleeping with the current pledge group.  She would be sleeping in the guest room.  Once she officially became a pledge, it would be her turn to sleep naked on a cot in the locker room.

Tracy dismissed the group for the night.  Brittany was to return to the library and study under Elaine's guidance while the three freshmen pledges were to go to sleep.  Lisa was to follow Tracy back to her room to talk in private.

When Lisa entered Tracy's room, she knelt, but Tracy told her to get up and take a seat.

"When you and I are talking in private, I don't want you kneeling anymore.  And, by the way, I don't want you calling me ma'am anymore, in private that is.  Obviously, you still gotta play the game in front of your group mates.  But, as far as I'm concerned, you're in.  You've more than proven yourself."

Lisa took a deep breath, blinking back her tears.  She was overwhelmed, not just by Tracy's announcement, but by everything that had transpired throughout the most traumatic day of her pledging experience.  Tracy continued, "There's a couple of reasons I'm telling you all this now.  For one thing, and this is something I've told you before, you've helped me, a lot, to keep your group mates motivated.  There were times, to be honest, that I felt the real Pledge Mistress this summer was not me, but you."

The two women's eyes met.

"But now, there's something else that's a lot more important.  I'd apologize to you about what happened with Heather, but to be honest, I don't think simply apologizing would do you much good.  An apology is just words, and I don't want you to think we can make up what happened today with words..."

"That's OK, ma'am... I mean... Tracy...really..."

"Lisa, you're only saying that because the reaction to what you went through hasn't set in yet.  Trust me, it will.  Tonight, or tomorrow, or next week... that shit Heather pulled is gonna hit you.  And you're gonna feel very angry, and you're gonna need to talk to someone about it.  When that moment comes, I want you to remember that I'll be here for you.  That's when we're gonna figure out if there's any way we can make it up to you.  And that's why... I'm not gonna try to blow you off with an apology.  You deserve much more than that."

Lisa realized there was something unspoken in what the Pledge Mistress was trying to tell her.  Without directly expressing it in words, Tracy was letting Lisa know that she desperately wanted to be friends with her.  It made sense, because the two women had so much in common in their personalities.  They both were outsiders with strong characters, both perceived as intimidating by the people who surrounded them.  So far, their roles as Pledge Mistress and pledge had kept them apart, but that now was coming to an end.  In just three weeks Lisa would be a full member of the sorority and there would be no further need to "play the game".  Lisa, as a full member of the sophomore class, would become the person who the new chapter president would turn to for emotional support.  It turned out that Tracy was the one who desperately needed a friend, and had found one in Lisa.

At that moment the reaction Tracy had predicted set in.  Lisa did something she could not even have imagined doing just an hour before.  She hugged her Pledge Mistress.  For a very long time she stood in Tracy's arms as tears ran down her cheeks.  It turned out that Tracy was right.  An apology in words wouldn't have done her any good.  She needed to be held.  Her friend Tracy understood, and was there to comfort her when it really mattered.

Tracy and Lisa went back to the basement as pledge and Pledge Mistress, and returned to their normal routine of sleeping naked on top of the cots.  Within minutes all five women were asleep.  An hour later Elaine escorted Brittany to the pledge room to brush her teeth, and then told her to go to sleep in the guest room.  Brittany slipped past the five naked sleeping women, marveling at their athletic figures in the dim light of the room.  Assuming she stayed with this sorority, she too, eventually would have a figure that looked like that. 

It would take a lot of hard work, just like the studying, but in the end she would be rewarded with good health and a respectable academic life.  Was there anything wrong with that?  Of course there wasn’t.  Then, why did the other sororities hate the Four-Betas so much?  Was it because their lifestyle made them not "cool"?  Or was it because in reality the other sororities saw the Four-Betas as a threat?  Perhaps, in reality everyone knew that the Four-Betas were superior, which was why everyone hated them so much.

Anyhow, Brittany had spent a long evening in the Four-Beta library and was tired, but at the same time she felt good.  She had eaten nothing but healthy food all day, and for the first time in two months, not touched alcohol.  Yes, she somewhat missed having alcohol, but knew that the following morning she would wake up after a good night’s sleep, not hung over, and begin her new exercise regimen.  The restoration of her mind and body already had begun.  For the first time in over two months her priorities were where they needed to be.

She was in bed at 10:30, exactly 24 hours after Tracy had found her gagging in the nearby park.  Her hosts had not given her any clothing to sleep in.  As first she thought about sleeping in her shorts and T-shirt, but then she realized that it would be better to not wear anything while in bed.  Assuming she passed her classes she would be spending most of her time over the next four months in the nude.  Might as well start getting used to it now. 

She slipped off her clothes and quickly got in bed.  Because she had never slept naked before except during sex, the sensation of being alone without any clothing was strange and rather frightening.  She pulled the covers up to her neck, but then began to get hot.  The temperature in the room was warm, precisely so a person not wearing any clothes would feel comfortable.  It was too hot to sleep covered.  Finally she folded the blanket and sheet down to her waist, leaving her chest exposed in the darkness. 

Wow... so this is what it's going to be like if I stay... no... no... it isn't.  It's going to be a lot worse, because they won't let me cover up at all.

She threw the blanket and sheets all the way to the foot of the bed and put her feet on top.  Now... this was how it's going to be.  Starting tomorrow morning, when she did her stretches and remedial exercising in the nude, this was how it was going to be.  Better get used to it now.

Lying naked in the darkness, Brittany felt incredibly erotic.  She allowed her hands to explore her body, for the first time in months completely unencumbered by being dressed, having anyone else in the same room, or having any intoxicants in her body inhibiting her physical sensations.  She took her time, worked herself into an exquisite orgasm, and enjoyed her body.  After she climaxed, Tracy's words came back to her, "We don’t let our members feel like shit.  We exercise and eat right so we don’t feel like shit.  Life’s too short to live feeling like shit."

Without bothering to pull up the covers, Brittany fell asleep.  Already, during her very first night in her new sorority, she was beginning to think and act like a Four-Beta.

The following morning the pledges performed calisthenics in the back yard, although Lisa had to skip any exercises that put pressure on her hand.  It would be at least a week before she had normal use of the finger Heather had so viciously twisted, but as long as she was careful, she could expect to have the splint off fairly quickly.  Once the splint was off, the incident with the former Sergeant-at-Arms would be completely in the past and everyone could move on.

The anticipated media crisis also passed relatively quickly.  The Four-Betas did not know what to expect from a double scandal that involved the arrest of one of their own officers as well as the jailing of an entire fraternity and several officers and senior members of a rival sorority.  That afternoon two news crews showed up at the Four-Beta House and began filming.  To their surprise, President Alexandra stepped outside and told each of the reporters to bring a cameraman into the sitting room so she could grant an interview and explain things from the Four-Betas' perspective.  When the reporters asked her for separate interviews she responded, "No, I'm not granting separate interviews.  I'm sure you have the same questions and I'm not going to answer them twice.  Get your cameras set up, and I'll give both of you our take on what happened yesterday."

Alexandra, dressed in her immaculate clothing and looking truly official, impressed the reporters as she calmly explained that the events from the day before with her officers involved two totally separate incidents.  She disposed of Tracy's street brawl first, citing the police report as proof that it had been the members of other sorority who started it.  As for an interview with Brittany, Alexandra commented, "Think about what she's been through.  That poor girl is scared out of her wits, and I think she could use some privacy right now.  If you go chasing after her with your cameras, how's that going to help her?"

The incident with Lisa was the trickier of the two crises to confront, because it involved the mistreatment of a Four-Beta pledge.  However, Alexandra pointed out, "The sorority officer in question has been suspended from her position and will not have further contact with any of the pledges.  She has allegedly committed some very serious violations of Four-Beta sorority rules.  I want to emphasize, if Heather is guilty of what she's been accused of, her behavior will end her association with the sorority.  What happened to our pledge is simply not acceptable to any Four-Beta and we are taking it very seriously.  I am giving you copies of the Four-Beta rulebook for sorority officers, and our Sergeant-at-Arms' alleged violations of the rules are highlighted.  Please keep in mind, I consider these rule violations separate from the state kidnapping and assault charges she faces from our legal system."

Upon passing out the rulebooks Alexandra continued, "Once we have a final copy of the police report and have taken statements from witnesses, we will conduct our own review of Heather's behavior, and write up an official report on the incident for the sorority record.  That final report will be made public.  However, before we finish the official report, she will be given due process by the sorority directorate, just like our legal system will give her due process.  After the evidence and police report are submitted, she will have the opportunity to defend herself and give her side of what happened."

One of the reporters asked, "Do you feel that you, as your chapter's leader, share any of the blame for what happened?"

Alexandra's answer surprised her listeners, "Yes.  As chapter president I am responsible for everything that goes on in the sorority.  It's my duty to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen.  It did, and unfortunately I guess it's a reflection of something that was lacking in my own leadership."

After Alexandra's interview aired on the Friday night local news shows, it became obvious the focus of the scandal was shifting away from the Four-Beta Sorority.  The chapter president performed much better than she thought, because her interview completely diffused any negative press coverage against the Four-Betas.  She projected a dignified, sympathetic image on TV, especially during the final part of the interview when she did nothing to attempt to deflect blame away from herself over what happened to Lisa.  In admitting her own failings, Alexandra upheld her duty to put the interest of the sorority ahead of her own reputation.

Following President Alexandra's interview, one of the reporters managed to get an opinion from a senior from the rival sorority.  It was obvious the woman was drunk when she launched into a tirade of obscenities against both Pledge Brittany and the Four-Betas.  Following excerpts from Alexandra's statements, that comment was aired, with a lot of electronic beeping to censor the language.

Chapter 37 -- Pledge Erin

The Friday following her harrowing adventure with Heather, Lisa returned to her job and faced Dr. Burnside’s questions about what had happened to her the day before.  As always, Lisa had to strip while in the professor’s office, hang up her clothes, lock the wardrobe, and hand over the key.  Before sitting down the student had to present her backside to satisfy Burnside’s curiosity concerning how badly she was marked up.  However, the professor was surprisingly sympathetic and Lisa found that talking about her experience with her mentor helped her tremendously.

Lisa noted an interesting detail about the older woman’s reaction to what had happened with Heather.  The professor seemed irritated with herself, because she had liked Heather and had a very positive impression of her from the few times they interacted.  Burnside considered herself a good judge of character, but for once she had been wrong about someone.  Lisa pointed out, "She didn’t start out that way, Dr. Burnside.  To be honest, at the beginning of the summer I didn’t see much difference between her and Tracy.  I mean, they worked together just fine when we first started pledging.  I think what happened was that the sorority presidency went to Heather’s head, and she began to get stressed out and desperate about it.  What was ironic was that if she hadn’t done anything and just relaxed and not fought with anyone, she would have been elected, because President Alexandra wanted her.  But, the more she obsessed about the presidency, the more she started doing stuff that made everyone think she shouldn’t get it.  I think over the summer she changed, and that's why people started opposing her."

With that Lisa returned to her normal duties of grading papers and finishing up her own research projects.  She was quite happy to be returning to her routine after all the trauma of the preceding two days. 

Later in the afternoon Burnside asked Lisa to retrieve some files from the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet.  Lisa deliberately turned her back to the professor and completely bent over as she pulled out the papers, lewdly exposing herself and momentarily unsettling her mentor’s normally calm demeanor.  Lisa never tired of shamelessly flirting with Dr. Burnside and causing her to get flustered.

The Saturday morning after Brittany’s rescue, Tracy and Shannon paid a visit to her sorority to pick up her things.  Shannon was very nervous, because it was clear that Tracy wanted to continue the brawl from two days before.  She was wearing a sweatsuit and a pair of steel-toed Army jump-boots, which would do real damage to anyone on the receiving end of a kick.  Tracy commented, "I wish I would’ve had these boots on two days ago.  That would’ve taught those bitches never to fuck with us."

Shannon followed Tracy to the rival sorority, carrying the letter authorizing Tracy to pick up Brittany’s things.  She desperately hoped the rival women might be reasonable and simply hand over Brittany’s items without a fight.

Tracy pounded on the door, only to have it opened by a very nervous hung-over freshman.  Tracy realized the girl must have been another pledge, because she had a black eye and her hair was tangled with adhesive from duct-tape.  Tracy and Shannon realized the pledge was alone in the house.  Obviously the fight the Pledge Mistress was expecting wasn’t going to happen, because there was no way this girl was going to cause her any trouble.  What happened instead was something neither of the Four-Beta’s could have expected.  The young woman asked, "Is Brittany gonna join your sorority?"

"She might.  Depends on her grades."

"But, she’s like, uh... gonna stay with you?"

"Yeah, she's gonna stay with us.  That’s why we need to pick up her stuff."

Suddenly the girl became much more nervous.  She took a deep breath and blurted out, "If I... like... uh... you know... bring her stuff out... I mean, like... could I go too?"

"Go too?  You mean..."

"Yeah, like... you know... go with Brittany?"

"So... what you’re telling me... is that you want to go to the Four-Beta house?"

The pledge nodded.

"You’re absolutely sure about this?  You’re sure you know what you’re doing?"

The pledge nodded again.

"OK, that’s fine with me.  Get your things, and don’t forget about Brittany’s stuff."

The pledge ran back into the house.  A minute later she deposited several pillowcases full of clothing and textbooks at the front door and ran back in.  Thirty seconds later she came back out, loaded down with a large suitcase and two trash bags full of more clothing and various items.  The Four-Beta officers picked up the bags and departed with a frightened young woman who had not even introduced herself. 

The freshman hurried along the sidewalk at such a quick pace that her two companions had to rush to keep up with her.  Once the group went around a corner the pledge slowed down slightly.

"I...is Brittany at the Four-Beta house... I mean like... right now?"

"Yes, she's there.  Now, can I ask you something?"

The girl nervously nodded.

"I think that, since you're gonna be staying with us, it might be a good idea if we introduce ourselves.  My name's Tracy, and this is Shannon."

Tracy put down the trash bag she was carrying and extended her hand.

"I’m Erin."

There was no further conversation, because it was obvious that the only thing on Erin’s mind was getting off the street.  The fact that she had a black eye partially explained why she was such a nervous wreck.  Tracy had plenty of questions, but those could be answered once Erin was safely accommodated in the Four-Beta house, reunited with Brittany, and had a chance to calm down.

Brittany was in the sorority library when the group returned to the Four-Beta house.  Tracy took Erin to see Brittany immediately, because the girl appeared a bit unstable and already seemed to be questioning whether or not she had made the right decision by fleeing her sorority.  The two freshmen were elated at seeing each other in their new environment.  In just two days Brittany’s appearance had improved tremendously, which helped Erin calm down considerably.

Tracy ordered the two guests to follow her downstairs and put away their things.  Brittany then had to return to the library and continue working on her assignment, while Erin was ordered to clean up and she was issued the same outfit Brittany had on.  Tracy then ordered Erin to report to the kitchen to have breakfast.

Like Brittany before her, Erin peeked out the window and was shocked to see about 20 women relaxing or exercising around the pool, all of them totally naked.  In the backyard’s grassy area the current group of pledges were performing drills to prepare for the volleyball tournaments.  The tallest girl in the group had a splint on her hand, but otherwise the Four-Beta pledges were in excellent shape.

After breakfast, Tracy formally presented Erin to President Alexandra and the sorority’s social director.  Like Brittany before her, Erin signed a letter printed on Four-Beta letterhead announcing her resignation from her current sorority.  Alexandra explained to Erin her guest status and emphasized that over the next three weeks she needed to focus on a single goal in life, passing her summer university classes.

Once both newcomers were accommodated with their books in the sorority library, Tracy took off her clothes and went into the back yard to retrieve Lisa.  She explained that a second pledge had defected from the other sorority, and then explained what she needed from Lisa, "It’s very important that we get those two signed on as formal pledges in the fall, for a whole bunch of reasons.  First of all, they’re dead meat as far as the other sororities are concerned, and I’m not just talking about the one they were pledging.  They’re gonna be looked at as total traitors to their sorority sisters and everyone’s gonna be out to get ‘em.  It doesn’t matter to the other sororities that Brittany nearly got killed and Erin’s got a black eye.  None of that matters to anyone except us in the Four-Beta directorate.  If those two girls want to have any hope of staying enrolled at the university and not get beat up, the only way they can do it is by staying with us."

"There’s something else.  I want to see that sorority shut down.  I totally hate what they’re doing to their members and now there’s finally a chance it might stop.  The arrests of their officers might help, but I think losing two pledges will be a real nice humiliation and hopefully demoralize them even more.  On top of that, the cops are gonna need Brittany’s testimony, and now we’ve got Erin, too.  If we can keep Brittany and Erin safe until those bitches get investigated and the shit they’ve pulled gets documented, they’re gonna be fucked.  And that’s what I want, for that sorority to be totally fucked."

With that, Tracy gave Lisa an ironic smile and continued, "So, Pledge Lisa, I’ve got a question for you.  Since you’ve got Shannon’s study group to deal with, passing your Four-Beta panel interview to deal with, your personal shit to deal with, Dr. Burnside to deal with, a volleyball tournament to deal with, and your finals to deal with, how’d you like another thing on your plate?  You up for another responsibility?"

"Sure, why not?  What is it?"

"I want you in charge of getting Brittany and Erin ready to pledge.  Not just with their academics, but also preparing them psychologically.  And physically.  Elaine was gonna work on Brittany’s remedial PT and studying, but, as far as I’m concerned, training pledges is not her job.  I’m delegating that job to you.  Remedial PT, academics, orientation.  Work up a training schedule and we’ll go over it this afternoon."

"Alright.  You got it.  Is it OK if I see the training schedule you used with us so I can have a go-by?"

Tracy handed Lisa a book titled "Official Four-Beta Sorority Pledge Mistress Trainer’s Guide".

"Here’s your go-by.  It’s the same one I used."

As she thumbed through three chapters titled "Pledge pre-orientation", "Pledge time management", and "Non-traditional pledges", Lisa realized that Tracy already was acting like the new chapter president, confidently delegating tasks to people she trusted to "get things done".   Both Tracy and Lisa knew if anyone could transform Brittany and Erin from disoriented, frightened guests into Four-Beta pledges, that person would be Lisa.

Lisa began her new duty by calling a meeting of her three fellow pledges and explaining the situations of Brittany and Erin.  Then she added, "If you think about it, things with us are starting to wind down, because we’re pretty much done with pledging.  We’ve already got two of the recruits who’ll be coming in with the fall group, and that means we’re no longer at the bottom of the Totem pole around here."

Lisa continued, "I’ve got my first tasking as a full member of the Four-Betas.  Brittany and Erin are gonna be fucked if their grades keep them from pledging, so it’s our job to make sure they pass their classes.  I want each one of you to spend some time helping them get caught up, but also getting to know them.  Once they swear-in, you’re all gonna be part of the same freshman class, so you might as well make them feel welcome and make friends with them."

Lisa them moved on to a totally different issue, her own role in the current pledge group,
"Once we swear in, you three are gonna be the core of the freshman class.  I’ll be with the sophomores and I’ve already told Elaine that I’ll support her as class leader.  That means, right now, I think you ought to decide among yourselves who’s gonna be your group leader."

Cherine raised her hand, "I think it ought to be Bernadette."

Lisa turned to Kathleen, "Are you OK with that?"

"That’s fine with me."

"OK, then Bernadette it is."

A few minutes later Lisa and Bernadette knelt in front of Pledge Mistress Tracy, to formally announce that Bernadette had been elected freshman class leader, pending swearing in.  Now Bernadette was officially the leader of the pledge group and answered directly to Tracy, leaving Lisa free to deal with Brittany and Erin.

After she talked to her group mates, Lisa went to the library to talk to the two guests alone.  She entered the room completely naked and was about to talk to two women who still were dressed, but that detail did not bother her in the least.  Being naked was an important part of Lisa’s identity, and the people around her would just have to get used to that.  In spite of her lack of covering, she exuded confidence and authority as she addressed the two newcomers and ordered them to stand.  She introduced herself to Erin and explained that she was in charge of the two newcomers’ affairs until they formally became pledges.  Then she handed a copy of the pledge manual to Brittany and ordered her to read:

"Chapter 1, section 14 - a pledge will automatically assume a position of submission and respect whenever addressing an officer of the Sorority.   The position of submission and respect will be determined at the beginning of each semester by the Chapter President.  However, as needed, an officer of the Sorority, with the concurrence of the Chapter President, may require pledges to assume a position of submission and respect differing from the pledge position normally required in the sorority house."

"Prospects Brittany and Erin, because I am delegated to help you get ready to pledge, I expect you to stand at attention whenever I talk to you.  Do you understand me?"

"Yeah... OK..."

"No, that’s not how you say it.  It’ll be ‘Yes, Pledge Lisa’. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Pledge Lisa."

"The ‘position of submission and respect’ will change once you two formally start pledging, but so will a bunch of other things in your lives.  For one thing, you’ll be answering to the Four-Beta Pledge Mistress, once she gets elected.  I don’t know who that’s gonna be, but it won’t be Pledge Mistress Tracy, because in a couple of weeks she’ll be chapter president.  But, whoever the Pledge Mistress is, you’re gonna have to show her total respect, just like my group is doing with Pledge Mistress Tracy now.  You follow me?"

"Yes, Pledge Lisa."

"The reason that’s important is because we do things differently than your old sorority.  The only person a Four-Beta pledge really needs to worry about is the Pledge Mistress.  We have a clear chain of command and everything you’ll be doing will be tied to your training.  We won’t be having you do a bunch of stupid irrelevant shit.  For example, you won’t have a senior waking you up in the middle of the night to get her a candy bar.  We don’t do things that way."

Strutting in exactly the same manner Tracy strutted, Lisa continued, "That’s not to say you won’t have a rough fall.  You will, but it’s gonna be different from what you guys were doing over the summer.  Everything you do here will have a purpose, and you’ll always understand that purpose.  Your lives will focus on studying, physical fitness, self-improvement, Four-Beta training, and sexual knowledge, in that order.  You won’t be allowed to have any alcohol, but that’s not to say you won’t have fun.  Play the game by our rules, and I guarantee you’ll have plenty of fun along with the hard work.  You don’t have to make yourself sick on booze to have fun."

Lisa then addressed an issue on the minds of both her listeners, noting that every so often they glanced at the bruises on her bare bottom.

"I know that you’re wondering about physical punishment.  Do we have it?  Yes we do, and it’s an important part of pledge discipline.  However, only the Pledge Mistress or Sergeant-at-Arms can administer a punishment; and the only place you’ll ever get punished is on your butt.  Around here there’s no such thing as getting hit in the face, like what happened to you..." Lisa pointed at Erin’s black eye.

With that Lisa held up the Pledge Mistress manual, "Everything that goes on in your lives is written down in this book.  If you ever have a question about something that I (or your Pledge Mistress in the fall) want you to do, you have the right to ask why, and to ask where it’s written down.  If you don’t like my answer, you can talk to Pledge Mistress Tracy or President Alexandra.  You understand that?"

"Yes, Pledge Lisa."

"If I don’t follow what’s in this manual, I can get booted from the sorority.  That just happened to one of our officers.  She didn’t follow the pledge manual, abused her authority, and is no longer with us."

Lisa pointed at the textbooks laid out on the library table.

"That’s gonna be your purpose in life.  You’ve got to pass your classes.  We’ll tutor you, help you get caught up on your assignments, and you’ll pass.  I bet last Wednesday you didn’t think you were gonna pass the semester, did you?"

"No, Pledge Lisa, we..."

"Well, things in life change, don’t they?  You’ll bust your asses and you’ll pass, but then in the fall you’ll have to work on bringing your grade point average up.  Now, what questions do you have from me?  Don’t forget, the only stupid question is the one you don’t ask..."

A few minutes later Brittany and Erin were seated with Kathleen, working on essays that should have been turned in two weeks before.  Oh well, better late than never. 

Meanwhile, Lisa wrote the first entry in the sorority training-log for the fall semester:

July 23 - 4:20 p.m.  Pledge Lisa Campbell was placed in charge of the initial orientation of Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin at the request of Four-Beta Pledge Mistress Tracy.  Following the appointment, Pledge Lisa formally introduced herself and discussed Four-Beta expectations of both pledge prospects over the next three weeks.  Topics covered included protocol between pledges and the trainer/Pledge Mistress, introduction to the Pledge Manual, a brief overview of Four-Beta training goals and philosophy, chain of command, physical discipline, and grievance protocol.  Purpose of introduction was to emphasize the structured nature of Four-Beta training and contrast it with their former sorority.  The above topics were covered superficially, but will be further developed throughout orientation.

Both pledge prospects appeared willing to accept the protocol of the Four-Beta pledge program, which presumably is much more structured and clearly defined than training protocol in their former sorority.  Questions asked by the pledge prospects following the introduction included: sleeping arrangements for pledges, contact with parents, how many freshmen typically pledge in the fall and the dropout rate, and the nature of the Four-Beta Sorority’s relationship with the Tri-Alpha Fraternity.

Both pledge prospects understood the urgency of their academic situation and accepted the need to pursue an intense study schedule over the next two weeks.  Assisting the pledge prospects with academic mentoring will be Pledge Bernadette, Pledge Cherine, and Pledge Kathleen.

Remedial PT will include 10-minute exercise and stretching breaks every hour to counter fatigue from studying.  Neither pledge prospect is able to perform 10 pushups non-stop, nor run more than 5 minutes before becoming seriously exhausted.  Both pledge prospects are over-weight by approximately 15 pounds each and have limited flexibility in their muscles.  Remedial PT will include stretching, with the goal of preparing their bodies for more intense exercising by the beginning of August. 

Trainer’s assessment:  Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin both appear to have above average intelligence and outgoing personalities.  However they will require counseling to counteract alcohol abuse, sleep deprivation, extreme stress, and possible feelings of guilt resulting from changing sororities.  Their personal relationship appears mutually supportive and should be a positive factor in their adjustment to the Four-Beta Sorority.

Note:  Pledge Lisa decided that the "position of submission and respect" for the pledge prospects will consist of standing upright at attention, because Pledge Lisa has not yet sworn in as a full member of the Four-Beta sorority.  Upon swearing in as a member-in-full-standing, Pledge Lisa will require Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin to kneel when addressing her, in accordance with Chapter 1, section 14 of the Four-Beta Pledge Manual.

Trainer’s recommendation:  Pledge Lisa recommends that both pledge prospects be allowed to use the pool immediately as part of their remedial PT, and not have to wait until becoming formal pledges.

Later that night Pledge Mistress Tracy added her own comments:

July 23 - 10:30 p.m.  Pledge Lisa’s request concerning use of the pool approved by chapter president.  Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin will be allowed to use the pool at Pledge Lisa’s discretion, provided they are under escort and properly undressed before entering the pool area.

The pressure of life in the Four-Beta Sorority did not let up as July drew to a close, in spite of Tracy’s promise of "light at the end of the tunnel".  The exhortation to study and perform well academically was more intense than ever, as was the final portion of the Four-Beta training in the evenings.  The pledges had to study the sorority’s rules, by-laws, and chapter history to prepare themselves for a written examination and the final panel interview.

Of the four pledges, Kathleen by far surpassed the others in mastering the Four-Beta material, because her mind was suited for that type of learning.  By the end of July not only did she know the sorority’s rules and history; she could actually recite them from memory.

Tracy continued to be stressed about the upcoming volleyball tournaments and worried that the sorority might not match its performance from the year before.  As a result, the pledges spent endless hours in the back yard practicing with the juniors.  Unfortunately Lisa had to sit out a week of volleyball practice while she waited for her hand to heal and the splint to come off.  Instead, Tracy had her perform exercises designed to help her get ready to train, with the hope that once Lisa’s splint came off, she could get caught up.

On top of their own studies, the four pledges took turns helping Brittany and Erin get caught up in their studies.  Fortunately, it turned out that Erin shared two classes with Bernadette, Cherine, and Kathleen, so much of what they did with her directly related to their own coursework.  Over the next week the two pledge prospects progressed with their assignments, while Alexandra sweet-talked the professors into accepting various papers way past their due dates.

By the beginning of August, the physical appearance of Brittany and Erin had changed dramatically.  Erin had to cut her hair to remove the adhesive from the duct tape, and both newcomers dyed their hair back to its natural color.  As customary for pledges of the Four-Beta sorority, they quit wearing makeup, jewelry, and nail polish.  After just a few days of exercise, plenty of sleep, and healthy food, their health had improved tremendously.  Already they were beginning to slim down as their bodies became more toned and the flabbiness from their drinking receded.  Their formally vacant expressions vanished, replaced by the determined look of knowing that their lives depended on whether or not they could salvage the semester.

The two newcomers were more fortunate than Lisa’s pledge group in on aspect; they had time to gradually get used to the naked lifestyle of the Four-Beta Sorority.  Lisa took them into the swimming pool as a reward for completing assignments and, of course they were required to swim naked.  The first time skinny-dipping was very difficult, especially for Erin, but the second outing to the pool was much easier.  Within a week both pledge recruits had become accustomed to swimming naked and were starting to enjoy it.  From skinny-dipping Brittany and Erin progressed to exercising naked whenever they were in the yard.  Over time Lisa patiently expanded the amount of time her two charges were separated from their clothing, easing them into their upcoming life of continuous nudity as pledges.

The arrival of Brittany and Erin forced President Alexandra to quit dwelling on the scandal over Heather and blaming herself for the mistreatment of Pledge Lisa.  Instead, she would spend the month of August dealing with the final important fight of her presidency.  The Friday following Erin’s flight to the Four-Beta House, the sorority was served with an official complaint, signed by most of the university’s other sorority presidents, accusing the Four-Betas of "pledge stealing".

The offense the other sororities were accusing the Four-Betas of committing was a serious violation of sorority protocol.  The various sororities had an understanding that under no circumstances were they to attempt to recruit each other’s pledges.  On the surface, the Four-Betas clearly had violated that agreement by taking in Brittany and Erin. 

The story, as circulated by the Four-Betas’ rivals was that Tracy and Shannon had deliberately provoked the members of the rival sorority into a fight to get them arrested, with the premeditated purpose of stealing pledges.  Along with the complaint was a petition from the other sorority officers demanding that the Four-Betas to drop all assault charges against their rivals, and another document demanding that Brittany and Erin be forced to leave the Four-Beta house and return to their original sorority.

Alexandra showed up at the presidents’ meeting to acknowledge the grievance, but had no intention of complying with either demand.  She began by noting that Tracy and Shannon had been attacked and were merely defending themselves.  There was no denying that fact, because the police report clearly backed the Four-Betas’ version of the incident.  She emphasized her point by passing out copies of the report.  As for the fight itself, if the other women got beat up because they were drunk and out of shape... well, whose fault was that?

As for Brittany and Erin, they were at the Four-Beta house not because they had been lured by anyone, but because they chose to go there.  They were just starting to regain their health, restore their grades, and put their lives back together.  The Four-Beta president flatly rejected any demands to give up Brittany and Erin, no matter what anyone else said or threatened.  She knew that in doing so she was about to unleash a fight between the Four-Betas and the other sororities, but so what?  It wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last.

The other sorority leaders were infuriated upon hearing to Alexandra’s unapologetic defiance concerning the Four-Beta Sorority’s vile acts of entrapment and pledge stealing.  However, the rival officers were smart enough to realize that taking their complaints to the media would not be a good idea.  Already pledging scandals were beginning to make the news, even before the fall semester had started.  Going any further with a formal complaint probably would be counter-productive, given that already the police and the university had become very interested in the dangerous hazing practices and underage drinking going on at Brittany’s sorority.  Unfortunately, the drunken interview from the senior in Brittany’s old sorority, especially when contrasted with President Alexandra’s courteous thoughtful comments, certainly did nothing to strengthen the position of the Four-Betas’ rivals in the eyes of journalists covering the story.

No.  The other sororities would have to come up with something else, something that wouldn’t involve normal grievance procedures, but instead totally humiliate the residents of the Four-Beta House.  That night several of Alexandra’s counterparts lay awake, each restlessly pondering what could be done to embarrass the rogue sorority. 

One woman hit upon an idea that seemed perfect.  The "sex bitches" liked being naked so much... OK, let’s make them go public with that.  Put ‘em on display for the whole world to see. 

The university-wide sorority volleyball tournament was coming up... a few small changes in the rules... and we’ll give the Four-Betas plenty of exposure... a lot more than even they can handle...

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 leave 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 another example, 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 sleep.

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 notwithstanding, 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 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.

Chapter 39 -- "Acting Pledge Mistress"

The atmosphere in the sitting room completely changed within minutes of the completion of the swearing-in ceremony, when the lights were turned on and the candles put out.

Shannon had a camera set up on a tripod so she could take several group pictures of the new members.  Lisa and her companions started by standing at attention; then took a second picture with their membership certificates.  After that they posed for several casual pictures, smiling with their arms around each other’s shoulders, and finally posed for individual shots with each woman holding her certificate.  The better pictures would go into the new members’ section of the Four-Beta yearbook, along with pictures taken in December of the fall pledge group.

The seniors took turns congratulating Tracy on her successful summer of pledging, while the younger women clustered to congratulate Lisa and her companions for successfully passing all the requirements to join.  Elaine approached Lisa to ask her a practical question, what she planned to do about her living arrangements in the fall.

Lisa realized that because of her pending status as Acting Pledge Mistress, she would have to take a room in the Four-Beta house and would not be able to return to her dorm room in Huntington Hall.  Watching over Brittany and Erin would not be possible if she were not in the sorority house at night, so it was obvious that she would have to notify the director at Huntington Hall and vacate her room.  To that Elaine commented, "Don’t just give up your old room.  Dorm rooms are hard to come by and right now there’s a waiting list.  How about having Bernadette or Cherine take it?"

When Lisa offered her fellow pledges her spot in Huntington Hall, they quickly decided to move in together as roommates.  They had become close friends during pledging and already were used to living together, so having them take Lisa’s dorm room made perfect sense.  The following week President Alexandra, Lisa, Bernadette, and Cherine would need to visit the university housing office to transfer the room.  Alexandra would accompany the group to use a contact she had in the campus housing-department to ensure that Lisa's room was actually transferred to the two freshmen.

That resolved the housing status of Bernadette and Cherine.  Elaine knew that Lisa would need a room in the sorority house, but as a sophomore, she did not have the right to take a room by herself.  To that Lisa quickly replied, "I don't want to take a room by myself.  I want to room with Kathleen."

"Alright.  If you two are doubling-up, then I suppose I can give you the small room near the second floor broom closet.  Would that work for you?"

"That'd be perfect."

Perfect indeed, because the room Elaine was offering was at the far end of the hallway.  On one side was an outer wall, and on the other side the broom closet.  No other bedroom shared a wall with the vacant room, which meant that it would be much harder for anyone to hear what Lisa and Kathleen were doing inside.  Perfect.

By 2:00 a.m. everyone was tired enough to be ready to go to sleep.  Tracy returned to her room and slept in her own bed for the first time in more than a month.  Lisa and her companions returned to the basement to find that Tracy had taken the locks off their lockers so they could have access to their personal items.  The women now had the option of getting dressed.  Another change was that they no longer would be sleeping in the locker room on cots.  That night they would sleep in the guest room with the two pledge prospects.

The following morning Lisa woke on her own at 8:00.  She woke up startled by her surroundings and the fact she was lying in a comfortable bed with Kathleen, instead of her usual cot in the locker room.  There was no "OK sleeping beauties!  UP-UP-UP!  Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" and no morning slap on the butt.  The pain in her shoulder reminded her why... she no longer was a pledge.

Lisa was the first member of her group to wake up.  She looked at her companions and realized that probably they had slept together for the very last time.  That night she and Kathleen would be sleeping in their room upstairs; and probably on Tuesday or Wednesday Bernadette and Cherine would move into Huntington Hall.  After moving into Lisa’s old room, both freshmen planned to be gone over the following week, visiting their parents, so she really wouldn’t see very much of them until the week before Labor Day. 

Lisa studied her lover's face, which looked very different when she was asleep and not tensed up.  Starting that night Lisa and Kathleen would have much more time to develop their relationship, now that the restrictions of life as pledges no longer existed.

How different everything would be...

Without bothering to get dressed, Lisa went upstairs to get breakfast.  She sat with six sophomores and juniors.  Four of her dining companions were wearing casual clothing, while the other two had not yet gotten dressed.  Fortunately for Lisa, there were other nudists in the house and the lifestyle was perfectly accepted.  When Lisa sat down, no one cared that she was not dressed.  Over the next three years, perhaps more if she chose to go to graduate school, Lisa would make it a point not to wear clothing whenever she was in the sorority house.

Lisa spent a very long time in conversation with her breakfast companions.  Finally Bernadette, Kathleen, and Cherine came upstairs, all of them dressed in casual clothing.  It was strange to see them wearing clothing in the house, stranger still that what they were wearing was not their Four-Beta pledge uniforms. 

Following breakfast Cherine and Bernadette planned to enjoy their first day of post-pledge liberty by going over to the Tri-Alpha house.  Cherine had a date with Jacob, while Bernadette... well... at the very least the Triple-A's owed her some quality time in the shower, a massage or two, and then after that... she'd have to see.  There was plenty of sexual tension built up in her body that morning.  Now that she was officially a Four-Beta and no longer restricted by the rule prohibiting sex between fraternity members and sorority pledges, she had every intention of celebrating her first day of freedom with the guys.

Lisa took Kathleen upstairs to see their new room.  It had two single beds, a dresser, a large bookshelf, and two wardrobes.  It was obvious the room had only two purposes: a place to sleep and a place to keep personal items.  Then Lisa noticed something very interesting.  There were two sturdy metal hooks drilled into the ceiling.  Lisa wondered when those had been put in, and why.  Whatever their original purpose, Lisa knew that she would have a use for them, whenever Kathleen misbehaved.

Lisa and Kathleen kissed passionately for several minutes, but then Lisa put her finger on her lover's lips. "Sweetie, I need you to bring our things up from the basement and get the room set up.  OK?"

"Sure, Lisa."

"And there's something else.  I want you to get your clothes off.  I didn't give you permission to get dressed."

"I'm sorry.  I thought..."

"That's OK.  I'm not mad about it.  Just don't let it happen again."

Very quickly Kathleen got out of her clothes.

"I gotta go deal with Erin and Brittany.  Now you make the room nice for us, so we can have some fun tonight."

As Kathleen began making trips up and down the stairs with armloads of personal items and linens, Lisa found Brittany and Erin in the sorority library, reading the Four-Beta Pledge Manual.  They still were dressed in their borrowed shorts and T-shirts, but that was about to change. 

Lisa entered the library and the two newcomers immediately snapped to attention.

"Good morning Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin."

"Good morning, Lisa."

"I want you to go to the basement and make sure your lockers are straightened and all your stuff put away.  While you’re doing that I’m gonna talk to President Alexandra, and I’ll be down in a few minutes.  Make sure you have everything put away, because when I come down, I’m gonna have to close up your lockers."

The two younger women looked at each other nervously as they left the library.  They knew this was it, their relatively relaxed time in the Four-Beta House was about to come to an end.

After telling Tracy and Alexandra that she would have Erin and Brittany ready to sign their pledge contracts within an hour, Lisa returned to the basement.  Shortly she would have to play the fierce role of Pledge Mistress, which meant that her relationship with her two charges would change radically.  That would not be a surprise to the two freshmen, because they had seen Tracy interact with the summer pledge group and had familiarized themselves with the Pledge Manual.  Still, the transition would be difficult and very scary at the beginning.

Lisa explained that she had been appointed Acting Pledge Mistress, "What that means is that, once those contracts are signed, I’m gonna be yelling at you, constantly smacking your butts, and wearing you out.  I’m gonna be doing all that because it’s gonna be my job.  Whatever you think of me right now won’t matter once we go upstairs.  What’ll matter is my title of Acting Pledge Mistress.  That title requires unquestioning obedience.  Your counselor’s gonna be Elaine.  You need a shoulder to cry on, go to her.  You follow me?"

"Yes, Lisa."

"After we go upstairs, you’ll have to start addressing me as ‘ma’am’.  Whenever you talk to me you’ll have to get on your knees before we converse.  Whenever you want to initiate a conversation, you need to ask for permission to speak.  Don’t even think about doing that before you’re on your knees."

Lisa glanced at the worried expressions on the faces of her companions and continued, "And there’s something else. I’m gonna take advantage of having you with me a few weeks before the others in your pledge group come in.  By Labor Day you’ll already know the Four-Beta rules and protocol by heart, so you’ll be able to help the others.  I’m gonna authorize my roommate Kathleen to handle your Four-Beta rules and history training.  She knows those topics better than any of the rest of us, so I’m gonna delegate that portion of your training to her.  When she speaks to you, you will treat her exactly like you’d treat me.  If you dare show her any disrespect, I will discipline you in a big way.  You follow me?"

"Yes, Lisa."

"I know it’s gonna be rough and there will be some times that you’ll totally hate me.  But I want you to understand two things.  The sorority has been doing things the same way since 1946, since we started using Pledge Mistresses.  I’m doing my job, and everything will have its reason.  If I’m doing something you don’t think complies with your Pledge Manual; you have the right to take it up with Pledge Mistress Tracy or President Alexandra.  That’s your chain of command until the fall election.  That’s item number-one.  Item number two is..." Lisa tapped the swollen patch of skin on her chest, "that I just completed what you guys are starting.  Don’t think that I won’t know what you’re feeling, because I went through what you’ll be going through.  Don’t think I don’t understand, because I do.  But at the same time, don’t think you’ll be getting any sympathy from me.  You want sympathy, go to Elaine.  You get it?"

"Yes, Lisa."

"A final thing.  When I’m in the house, most of the time I won’t be wearing any clothing.  I want you to understand that doesn’t have anything to do with my status in the sorority.  I’m a nudist and it’s my lifestyle choice to stay naked.  That’s why I’m a Four-Beta, so I can live my life according to the values that are most important to me.  The fact that I’m naked has nothing to do with the authority I’ll hold over you."

Lisa took a breath, marveling at the sudden change in her own role in the sorority and the confidence with which she was speaking.

"OK, ladies.  This is it.  You’ll need to decide if you want to go upstairs and sign those contracts.  You already know what to expect, because I’ve just told you.  The moment your signatures go on those sheets of paper, you’ll be pledges.  You ready to head upstairs?"

The two young women, scared but determined, nodded.

"Yes.  We’re ready."

"OK, take off your clothes and put them in the laundry basket.  As of right now you’ll have to comply with the pledge uniform rules.  No clothes allowed when you’re in the house."

Lisa’s charges took deep breaths and trembled as they stripped off their borrowed clothing.  They faced four months of enforced nudity.

"OK, you two!  Ready to begin your journey with the Four-Beta Sorority?"

"Yes, Lisa!"

"PLEDGES, STAND UP!"

The two naked women snapped to attention.

"Up the stairs to the sitting room!  Double-time... move out!"

Lisa followed her companions as they ran up the stairs.  Erin and Brittany were very nervous, but at least this time they knew what to expect upon signing their pledging contracts. 

Two months before, when their internment with their previous sorority began, they had no clue what was going to happen to them.  Their pledging experience started when they were taken into the back yard and pelted with rotten vegetables and eggs.  They were forced to drink several beer bongs each.  When they had to go to the bathroom, the seniors forced them to piss in their pants, wildly insulted them, and continued hurling eggs.  That was only the beginning, and every week their ordeal got worse. 

They knew that the experience they faced now would be very harsh, but harsh in a very different way.  In exchange for the hardship they were about to endure, they would get into top physical shape and end the semester with very good grades.  And, as Lisa pointed out, they would have at least some fun along the way.

The sitting room was empty except a large table where the Four-Beta officers were sitting.  In front of the table were three chairs.  The officers, including Tracy, were dressed in formal gowns.  Lisa led her companions into the room.  The two freshmen took their positions standing behind the chairs.  Lisa moved to the front.

Tracy stood up and her voice bellowed out, "State your purpose, Lisa Campbell!"

"Pledge Mistress Tracy, I’m here to present Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin to the sorority directorate.  They have expressed their desire to share the journey of life with us and to undergo the hardships of pledging."

"Very well, Lisa.  Please instruct your guests to take their seats."

"Pledge Prospect Brittany and Pledge Prospect Erin, please join me in sitting down."

The two freshmen were very nervous as they sat down with their mentor.  However, it helped tremendously that Lisa was naked along with them.  In spite of its very intimidating introduction, the session itself was more of a two-way conversation than a formal interview.  The officers already knew most of the details surrounding the decisions of Brittany and Erin to join the Four-Beta Sorority, so they delved more into their high school years, how the newcomers defined duty and friendship, and their personal interests.  Each officer introduced herself and described her responsibilities within the sorority, supplementing what Lisa had told them to give the prospects a clear understanding of the sorority’s chain of command.  Finally Alexandra stood up, "Are you familiar with the Four-Beta Pledge Manual?"

"Yes, President Alexandra."

"And you commit yourself to abide by that Manual and submit yourselves to the rules of our community?"

"Yes, President Alexandra."

"Very well.  Your pledge contracts are ready."

With that President Alexandra signed Brittany’s pledge contract and passed it to the sorority’s vice-president.  The document made its way to Tracy, who signed it and ordered Lisa to step forward.  She pointed at a signature line in the contract that read:
Acting Pledge Mistress -- Lisa Campbell

Once Lisa’s signature was on the document, Alexandra ordered Brittany to approach the table and sign the contract.  According to Four-Beta rules, upon signing Brittany’s status immediately changed from Pledge Prospect to Pledge.

"Pledge Brittany, remove the chair you were using from this room.  By signing that contract, you have just forfeited your right to sit in our presence."

"Yes, President Alexandra."

Brittany moved very quickly to get the offending chair out of the sitting room.  As previously instructed, she knelt next to Lisa, who remained standing.

Alexandra signed Erin’s contract next and it made its way to Lisa.  Again Lisa put her signature next to: Acting Pledge Mistress -- Lisa Campbell

After Erin signed her contract and took her chair out of the room, she took her position kneeling next to Brittany. 

President Alexandra stood up, "Lisa Campbell!"

"Yes President Alexandra!"

"Until further notice you will serve the Four-Beta Sorority and this directorate as Acting Pledge Mistress.  I am holding you directly responsible for the training, discipline, and well-being of Pledge Brittany and Pledge Erin.  I also am holding you directly responsible for complying with all the provisions of the Official Four-Beta Sorority Pledge Mistress Trainer’s Guide.  Do you understand me?"

"Yes, President Alexandra.  I understand."

"Do you accept this responsibility?"

"Yes, President Alexandra.  I accept."

"Very well, Acting Pledge Mistress Lisa.  Take charge of your group."

Lisa quickly stood up and turned to face her charges.

"PLEDGES!  STAND UP!"

Erin and Brittany scrambled to their feet.

"Move to the basement!  Double-time!  LET’S GO!... LET’S GO!..."

Once Lisa and her group left the sitting room, Alexandra commented to Tracy, "And you seriously think she’s ready to replace you?"

"Yes, Alexandra.  She’s ready.  I know for a fact she’s ready.  I wouldn’t have put her in charge of them if she wasn’t."

As Tracy had promised, Lisa hit the ground running.  She already had a full schedule laid out for the rest of the day for the new pledges, which included exercise, cleaning the top floor of the sorority house and presenting it for inspection, studying a chapter of the Four-Beta Pledge Manual with Kathleen, and more exercising. 

Lisa took the two pledges into the back yard and forced them to exercise until they collapsed from exhaustion.  After stretching she allowed them to cool down in the pool, get cleaned up, and have lunch in the kitchen.  While they were eating she went into her room to check on Kathleen’s progress getting it set up.  The room was ready: everything was put away, the beds had sheets on them, and the floor was swept.   It was clear that Kathleen desperately wanted to be rewarded with a love-making session, but she would have to wait.  Lisa told her to prepare a lesson plan from one of the chapters out of the training manual.

Kathleen's participation in the pledge training had a dual purpose.  Lisa genuinely needed assistance because she had no Sergeant-at-Arms with whom to switch off training responsibilities.  Kathleen would fulfill that role and give Lisa time to address other responsibilities in her life.  Also, Lisa wanted Kathleen to get used to giving instructions and orders.  When alone with Lisa, Kathleen would be totally submissive to her, but in public she would submit to no one else.  Like Lisa, Kathleen would exercise authority and demand respect from the pledges.  She had two strong points in her knowledge, physical fitness and memorizing the Four-Beta rules, which she would directly share with the pledge group.

While Kathleen was occupied preparing her lesson, Lisa returned to the kitchen and took her pledges upstairs.  She gave them instructions, informed them that cleaning the upper floor was a pledge challenge to be taken seriously, and handed them an inspection sheet.  They had two hours to bring the bathrooms and public areas of the floor to inspection standards.

Lisa knew that after the clean-up she would administer Brittany and Erin's first corporal punishment.  Once Brittany and Erin thought their clean-up was complete, Lisa and the pledges would conduct a walk-through inspection with Pledge Mistress Tracy.  Both pledges would receive a swat on the bottom from a leather strap for each violation.  The initial inspection and punishment would be a hard lesson for the two newest aspirants, a painful reminder that they needed to work together and pay attention to detail when issued a pledge challenge.

Right after their punishments, Brittany and Erin would kneel before Kathleen to be drilled on that night’s chapter from the Pledge Manual.  They would be expected to pay undivided attention to their instructor.  That would be their second hard lesson.  They needed to accept physical punishment as a normal part of their daily routine and not dwell on it.  The fact they had to kneel with sore bottoms did not mean Kathleen’s lesson was any less important.

The two pledges finished within an hour, or so they thought.  As they knelt in front of her, Lisa gave them an opportunity to reconsider, "Are you absolutely sure that floor complies with inspection standards?  You're totally sure about that?"

"Yes, Pledge Mistress, we're sure."

"You understand that I gave you two hours to do the job.  Maybe you might want to go back?"

"It's OK, ma'am, we're done."

"Alright, for your sake, I hope you're telling me the truth.  Just remember, I gave you two hours for a reason.  You can't say I wasn't fair about this."

Of course, the job was not done right at all.  Lisa and Tracy found a total of 57 violations as they did the walkthrough.  As the officers patiently pointed out why each item was deficient, Brittany and Erin became increasingly frightened.  They knew they had failed their first pledge challenge.  Tracy commented, "Pledges, I might have some sympathy if I knew you had used up the entire two hours and at least done some of your chores right.  You quit after just one hour, thinking you if you rushed you were going to get a break.  Let me explain something.  When you're a pledge around here, breaks are few and far between, and we're the ones who decide when you get them, not you.  Your Pledge Mistress gave you two hours to complete that task, but you made a deliberate decision not to utilize your time wisely.  This'll be a learning experience for you, but unfortunately a very painful learning experience."

As the two frightened pledges knelt, Lisa went to her room and told Kathleen to go downstairs, get a strap, and report to the sitting room.  Kathleen gave Lisa a scared look. 

"Don’t worry, it’s not for you.  But I need you to assist me with the pledges."

Kathleen went downstairs.  She left the room naked, because Lisa had not told her to get dressed and she knew better than to ask.

Meanwhile, Lisa, Tracy, and the two miserable pledges went to the sitting room.  Tracy stood in the back to observe her acting Pledge Mistress in action, to see how she’d handle her first incident of pledge discipline.  She noted with satisfaction that Lisa was using her own style to inflict punishment.  She did not raise her voice nearly as much as Tracy had over the summer, but instead spoke at a normal tone with absolute authority.

The strap Kathleen brought out was not the one Lisa intended, because it was too heavy to strike someone 57 times.  However, rather than fumble around by sending Kathleen back to get the correct strap, Lisa improvised.

"Take a good look at this strap, Pledges.  Take a really good look."

The two girls trembled at the fearsome sight of Lisa with that strap. The cruel dark leather contrasted sharply with her unadorned body.  For some reason the fact she was holding the implement while naked only made her much more intimidating.

"Now, because it’s your first night as pledges and you’re still getting used to your responsibilities, I’m gonna do you a really big favor.  I’m supposed to give each of you a stroke for every violation.  Instead I’m willing to split the punishment between you.  Please keep in mind tonight’s the only night I’ll split your punishment.  The next time I hand you an inspection sheet, you’d better remember that."

Lisa ordered Brittany to stand up and bend over a study table.  She directed Kathleen to stand at the opposite side, grab the pledge’s wrists, and hold her in place.  Before beginning the punishment, Lisa ran her hand over the Brittany’s trembling bottom, which elicited a jealous look from her lover.

Lisa stepped to the side, tapped Brittany’s bottom with strap, repositioned herself, and delivered a fearsome CRACK!

Brittany immediately tensed up and let out a high-pitched squeal.  She kicked her feet up, but Lisa admonished her, "Put your feet back on the floor, Pledge.  If I have to tie you down, you’ll get the full punishment."

CRACK!

"AIEEE!"

CRACK!

Lisa spaced the strokes about 20 seconds apart, to give Brittany a chance to feel each one but not prolong the punishment more than necessary.  The girl was crying pitifully, but fortunately she was able to keep her feet on the floor and avoid Lisa’s threat of additional strokes.  As Kathleen kept the girl’s wrists firmly in her grip and calmly held her in place, Lisa realized that her lover would be an invaluable help to her.  If Lisa ever became anything more than Acting Pledge Mistress, she would have to see to it that Kathleen had an official position as her assistant.

Brittany’s punishment was over within 15 minutes.  The heavy strap left her bottom a fierce shade of red punctuated with purplish welts.  Looking at the condition of Brittany’s backside, Lisa knew that 28 strokes was about the limit a pledge’s bare bottom could withstand from the severe implement in her hand.

Lisa ordered Brittany to stand in front of the speaker’s podium, turn her back to the room, and grip it with her hands to steady herself.  The other women in the room studied her injured backside as she continued to cry.  Once her crying died down, Lisa ordered Brittany to remain standing with her hands gripping the podium.  She was not to move or touch her bottom.

Upon seeing the condition of her friend, Erin shook with fear.  She was next.

"Pledge Erin, lie over the table.  Put your hands out in front so my assistant can hold them.  Spread your feet on the floor and turn them inward."

Erin did as she was told and Kathleen grabbed her wrists.  Noting that her lover was carefully watching her, Lisa refrained from patting or touching the pledge’s vulnerable bottom.  Instead Lisa positioned herself, tapped her trembling target with the strap, and struck hard with a fierce CRACK!

Lisa punished Erin using the same technique she had used on Brittany, striking the girl’s exposed bottom with strokes spaced about 20 seconds apart concentrated on alternate sides.  Like her fellow pledge, Erin’s bottom soon was marked with reddish stripes that crossed each other.  Towards the end the unhappy girl’s backside was dark red and covered with purplish marks.

What was different about Erin was how she handled her portion of the punishment.  Unlike Brittany, she did not cry out or kick her feet.  Instead she pressed her forehead to the table surface and gritted her teeth, trying her best not to show any reaction to what was happening to her.  Much more than Brittany, Erin understood that the two pledges had no one but themselves to blame for their punishments.  She realized that, without saying it directly, Lisa had tried to warn them that their task was not completed.  Within the logic of the Four-Beta pledge program, the acting Pledge Mistress had been more than fair by giving her two pledges an opportunity to correct their mistakes, a cue that unfortunately they did not pick up on until it was too late.

When Erin stood up, her face was streaked with tears, but she had made it through the punishment without making any noise.  Brittany continued to cry, devastated by what had just happened to her. 

Lisa gave the pledges a half an hour to partially recover from their punishment.  She allowed them to have a drink of water and go to the bathroom before ordering them to report to the sorority library.  She then turned them over to Kathleen and ordered them to kneel to receive their first formal lesson about Four-Beta sorority protocol.  Kathleen knew the material she was presenting, which helped her overcome her shyness when speaking to others. 

Once Kathleen’s lesson was finished, Lisa took over and put the pledges on treadmills for half an hour of fast walking to work off some of the remaining soreness from their strappings.  As she had planned, Lisa’s pledges were totally exhausted by the time she released them.  They still had to clean up, brush their teeth, and set up their cots.

Brittany began crying again, once the two pledges were alone in the basement.  Erin sat next to her friend and patiently reasoned with her, explaining why their first punishment was perfectly justified under the rules they had agreed to live by.  She pointed out that their mentor actually had been quite lenient, because they only had received half the swats they were supposed to get.

"The point is, she told us what we needed to do, and we didn’t do it.  When you think about it, Lisa was right.  Tomorrow we’ll just have to try harder and do what she says.  That’s the only thing that’s gonna save our butts."

Finally Brittany stopped crying and lay down on her cot.  She realized that what Erin had told her was true, that she really couldn’t blame Lisa.  When she signed her contract she already knew this was the way it was going to be.  The Four-Betas emphasized rigid discipline and constant pledge challenges instead of drinking and taunting. 

Brittany then realized something else that was very significant.  In spite of her very harsh treatment, not once did Lisa verbally taunt or insult either pledge. Yes, Erin was right.  Tomorrow they would just have to try harder, work together, and pay closer attention to what Lisa actually was telling them to do.

Neither of the two pledges could have known it at that point, but during the fall semester Erin would become the one who kept the others motivated.  By the middle of September, Pledge Erin would assume the leading role among her group, guiding her companions through the various hardships they had to face.  Erin’s role during the fall would be identical to the one that Lisa had performed during the summer.

Chapter 40 -- The Price of Lisa’s Love

Upon settling into their room the night after they swore in, Lisa needed to work out the details of her relationship with Kathleen.  Living as pledges had restricted the affair considerably, which in a way was fortunate for Lisa because she’d had some time to think about what she wanted from her lover.  However, as of August 14 the two women had their own room and were free to develop their lives in private.

While still pledging, Lisa had decided on the long-term goal that she wanted to pursue with Kathleen.  She couldn't have explained why, even to herself, but Lisa had become fixated on the idea of making Kathleen look upon her as her owner.  Ultimately she hoped to take command of Kathleen's existence, not through cruelty or fear, but by making the girl understand that she knew what was best for her.  Her idea was to exert total control over her companion's time, emotions, and behavior through a combination of love, emotional support, sexual pleasure, guidance, physical discipline, and expression of approval or disapproval.  The fact that Kathleen was so desperate to please her would help, but Lisa understood that the relationship she envisioned would be extremely complex and take a lot of patience to create.

On the other hand, Lisa also wanted Kathleen to behave normally in public and encourage her to have her own aspirations and responsibilities.   In keeping with her sorority’s protocol, she had no desire to make a spectacle out of the relationship in front of other people.  Whenever anyone else was nearby, Lisa always spoke to Kathleen in a normal conversational tone of voice, never gave orders or did anything to embarrass her, never talked about sex, and never used any cutesy terms of affection.

When working with the new pledges, it was clear that Kathleen was taking orders from Lisa, but no more so than Lisa was working under the guidance of Tracy.  Anyone observing the two women in public would not have seen very much that indicated they were anything more than friends.

Once the door of their bedroom closed and Lisa was alone with Kathleen, they way they interacted with each other changed completely.  Lisa's long-term desire was to have Kathleen kneel whenever she spoke to her alone and automatically ask for permission to do anything.  However, she did not want to have to order Kathleen to behave submissively, but instead mold the girl's character so that Kathleen would decide on her own that it was her duty to venerate her lover.  Lisa would take her time, knowing that the journey of her lover’s soul was every bit as important as its destination.

From the very beginning, Lisa knew that her partner had a very strong sex drive and used that knowledge to her advantage.  Kathleen’s orgasms from Lisa were almost a nightly event and a major motivation in the freshman’s desperation to please her.  Kathleen knew that if she was a "good girl" and did nothing to annoy Lisa, before bedtime she would be rewarded with an orgasm.  If she did something that "disappointed" Lisa, she wouldn’t get her orgasm and was sent straight to bed.  If Lisa was in a playful mood and had decided that Kathleen had been "a naughty girl"; their time together would include an erotic spanking before love-making.  Usually the spankings were very light, but they lasted a long time and allowed Kathleen’s sexual desires to build for the final release that always came afterwards.

Lisa’s orgasms from Kathleen were much less frequent.  Of course, Kathleen desperately wanted to sexually satisfy Lisa to demonstrate her love.  However, Lisa’s feelings about sex were more complicated than those of her lover, because the emotional part of the relationship appealed much more to her than the sexual part.  Instead of receiving oral stimulation from her, Lisa preferred holding the younger woman, controlling her through physical contact, and working on her long-term goal of getting her to totally submit.  Sometimes Lisa did encourage Kathleen to give her an orgasm and allowed herself to climax, but often did so simply because she wanted to boost the younger woman’s confidence in herself.

There was one ritual that both women enjoyed whenever they had some time alone.  Kathleen totally loved to lie over Lisa’s lap, even when she wasn’t being spanked.  She simultaneously felt protected and vulnerable as she lay quietly with her legs spread slightly and her bottom-hole exposed to Lisa’s soft, sporadic touches.  Lisa got into the habit of studying with Kathleen lying over her thighs, using her lover’s back as a place to set her textbook or class notes.  Meanwhile, Kathleen closed her eyes and sighed with happiness while Lisa’s free hand absent-mindedly caressed her bottom, in the same way a pet owner might spend a long time stroking a purring cat while reading or taking notes.

Lisa made an interesting discovery as she focused her attention to her lover’s backside.  By patting and massaging her buttocks, eventually Lisa could put Kathleen to sleep.  However, if she touched or teased her sphincter, Kathleen became aroused.  Sometimes when she had Kathleen over her lap, Lisa lubricated a finger and slowly moved it back and forth through her lover’s bottom-hole.  Whenever she violated Kathleen’s body in such an intimate manner, her lover tensed up with arousal.  Often Lisa teased Kathleen by caressing her bottom to make her sleepy, then touched her sphincter to arouse her, and then explored her vulva before finally returning her attention to penetrating her from behind and bringing her to orgasm.

Lisa and Kathleen had another nightly ritual that became an important part of their bedtime routine.  Lisa kept a rectal thermometer in the room and always measured Kathleen’s temperature before they went to sleep, to "make sure my silly little girl is nice and healthy".  As the fall semester progressed, Kathleen became so accustomed to lying over her lover’s lap and having the thermometer inserted that she couldn’t get to sleep if her temperature had not yet been taken.

There was one exception to the private nature of the relationship, and that was what Kathleen was allowed to wear.  Lisa was a nudist and determined to convince others to adopt nudism as a lifestyle.  Accepting that part of Lisa’s values was an important condition of being in a relationship with her.  On the very first day they were full members of the sorority, Lisa made Kathleen understand that, to stay her lover, she would have to join her as a full-time nudist.  Whenever in the house, whether they were relaxing, studying, training the pledges, or attending meetings, Lisa and Kathleen would make it a point to leave their clothing in their room.  Lisa instructed her lover to tell everyone that she had become a nudist by choice, which was true, in a way, "It’s your choice to be with me, and if you’re with me, living naked is part of the package."

Lisa’s influence on Kathleen’s attire extended beyond the Four-Beta house.  Kathleen learned that when she dressed to go on campus, she was prohibited from using underwear.  Under no circumstances did she have permission to wear a bra, ever.  Lisa pointed out that Kathleen’s breasts were small and did not need support; so wearing a bra served no purpose.  Lisa would allow Kathleen to wear panties during her menstruations, but that was it.  When she was not having her period, she would be required to "go commando".

Lisa’s definition of what constituted appropriate clothing for her classes made Kathleen even more nervous than the thought of becoming a nudist in the sorority house or giving up underwear.  To remain Lisa’s lover she had to totally change her style of dressing.  Up until her internment as a pledge, Kathleen’s clothing was a mis-match of oversized items that she wore to hide her body.  She had made a half-hearted effort to adopt a Goth style of dressing, but with her that fashion didn’t work.  Kathleen simply did not make a convincing Goth chick.

Lisa went through her lover’s clothes and sorted out unacceptable items that would have to be donated to charity.  Kathleen surrendered her three swimsuits, her bras, several long skirts, her collection of leggings, a couple of baggy blouses, all of her jeans, a soiled jean jacket, and several oversized men’s sweatshirts that she had worn in high school.

"These are just dreadful," commented Lisa.  "If you wore this shit in high school, no wonder everyone hassled you."

Once Lisa purged her lover’s wardrobe, she laid out the rules for what Kathleen was allowed to wear on campus.  During hot weather her skirts would have to be above the knee.  Shorts were OK.  Light blouses were OK.  Summer dresses were OK, as long as the hem was above the knee.  T-shirts were OK, as long as they fit properly.  Any clothing with a Four-Beta logo was OK, as long as it properly fit. 

Lisa’s favorite cold weather pants were low-rider jeans that barely covered her bottom, even when she was standing up.  She wore them without underwear, so when she bent over or sat down, her pants pulled halfway down her butt.  She loved the looks she got from passers-by as she showed off her hips and the top half of her bottom, pushing herself to the very limit of the city’s indecent exposure laws.

Lisa knew that low-rider jeans were not something that went well with Kathleen’s personality.  However, she did expect Kathleen to buy slacks and jeans that complimented her figure once the weather got cold.  All sweaters and sweatshirts would have to properly fit, no large or extra large items allowed.

"You’ve got a nice body, and I’m gonna teach you to be proud of it and show it off."

As August progressed and Labor Day weekend approached, Lisa’s main concern was to figure out how to structure her time with Kathleen so that she could meet her lover’s needs, and yet keep the girl busy enough to prevent her from demanding too much of her free time.  The best way to keep Kathleen from becoming a burden was to give her plenty of her own responsibilities and duties.  Lisa warned her lover that she needed to do a good job with her portion of the pledge training, or else she would be "disappointed".

Appointing Kathleen as her assistant was a perfect set-up, because she could delegate many of the more routine and time-consuming responsibilities of pledge training.  The arrangement freed much of her time, while giving Kathleen something to worry about other than her fixation on Lisa.  Not only was Kathleen tasked with familiarizing the pledges with the Four-Beta Pledge Manual and Membership Manual, but also she drilled Brittany and Erin on the history of the sorority.  Before long Lisa’s assistant was preparing examinations for the pledges and writing her own training log entries.  On the Wednesday following the Four-Beta swearing-in ceremony, Lisa issued the pledges running uniforms and for the first time sent them out jogging with Kathleen. 

There was one issue hanging over the relationship that unfortunately could not be resolved during the weeks following swearing-in.  Kathleen knew that Lisa still planned to punish her for the incident at Burnside’s July 4th party.  However, the whipping had to wait because Lisa didn’t want her lover running around the Four-Beta House with her shoulders, bottom, and thighs covered with welts.  For Lisa, disciplining her lover was a personal matter and not something the rest of the sorority needed to know about. 

Lisa figured that she would have to wait until Kathleen could spend at least four days away from the sorority house, which was the amount of time she estimated it would take for the marks to heal.  Another reason she had decided to wait was that she wanted to know with whom Kathleen had cheated on July 4th before chastising her, but was unable to ask her directly.

Wednesday morning, while Kathleen was exercising with the new pledges, Lisa went over to her old dorm room with Bernadette and Cherine.  The room had a lot of memories for her, all those nights she had spent with Mike in the fall and Ken in the spring, her uneasy relationship with Cecilia Sanchez...

Cecilia... yeah... that’s right.  She hadn’t heard anything from Cecilia since May... whatever happened to her?  And Jason?  And Mike’s friend, Cynthia Lee?  Whatever happened to all of them?  Lisa’s heart skipped a beat as she realized that three months had gone by, three months during which the paths of their lives had totally diverged from her own path in life.  Lisa figured they must still be in Upper Danubia... but...

Maybe Dr. Burnside knew something.  The next time Lisa saw her she’d have to ask.

The room transfer went very quickly, because the women had six Tri-Alphas helping them carry Lisa’s items out of the room and brought in the items belonging to Bernadette and Cherine.  Within an hour the room’s appearance was totally different, covered with Cherine’s music posters and Bernadette’s curtains and linens.  Lisa left her two group mates to organize their new accommodations, and returned to the Four-Beta house in one of Triple-A vans.  The guys helped her move her possessions into her room in the sorority.  It would be up to Kathleen to put everything away.

Another issue that Lisa needed to resolve during the final weeks of August was what to do about her relationship with Ken.  She now had some time to think about that, because the Tri-Alphas did not have their swearing in until the Saturday following the Four-Beta ceremony.

Lisa planned to talk to Ken before swearing in, and set aside the day after her move to spend time with him.  After making sure that Kathleen had a full day of planned activities with Brittany and Erin to keep her busy, Lisa put on her tennis shoes and skimpy summer dress and walked over to the Tri Alpha Fraternity.

It was strange to see the fraternity as a Four-Beta member instead of as a pledge, stranger still to see Cherine walk out the front door, dressed in her favorite cargo pants and holding hands with the Tri-Alpha vice-president.  Weird to think, already Cherine had put the pledging experience completely behind her and had moved on.

Lisa wondered about Bernadette.  She went out to the pool area and sure enough, there Bernadette was, cavorting in the water with several naked fraternity members and a Four-Beta sophomore.  Obviously, Bernadette had moved past her pledging experience as well.

Lisa suddenly felt an odd nostalgia, because for the first time she truly understood that the members of her pledge group had split up and were going their separate ways within the sorority.  In some ways she had enjoyed being in such a tightly knit group with the other three pledges, in spite of the personality conflicts that inevitably arose from being under such intense pressure.  Undoubtedly she still would have ties to Bernadette and Cherine, but it wouldn’t be the same as it was over the summer.

Lisa took a deep breath and focused on the reason she was visiting the fraternity, to see Ken.  She spoke with Pledge Master Arnold to see if he could release Ken for several hours.  Arnold shrugged his shoulders, "You can have him as long as you want.  We’re pretty much done, except for exercising and PT training."

A few minutes later Ken showed up, a bit surprised to see Lisa visiting the sorority in her dress.  Lisa snapped, "How come you aren’t on your knees?  Where’s fucking your manners, Pledge?"

Oops.  Ken had forgotten that Lisa now was a full member of the Four-Beta sorority, while he still was nothing more than a pledge.  Quickly, he got on his knees, but not quickly enough.

"I don’t appreciate the disrespect, Pledge!  I don’t appreciate your ignoring my authority over you!"

Already Ken’s penis was starting to get hard.

"Tell you what, Pledge!  You go to your Pledge Master, and you tell him that you actually had the nerve to disrespect a member of the Four-Beta Sorority!  You tell him that!  Then you tell him that you’re very sorry, and we’ll just have to figure out how you’re gonna make it up to me!  Now stand up!"

Before Lisa released Ken to find Arnold and make his confession, she gave his penis a squeeze to make sure he had to walk around the fraternity with a full erection.  Yes, indeed, it looked like things with him were getting back to normal...

Two minutes later Ken came back with a hastily scribbled note: Pledge Master Arnold agrees to release custody of Pledge Ken to Four-Beta Lisa Campbell.

Lisa gave Ken’s penis another squeeze before leading him to the fraternity guest room.  She had a full afternoon of activity in mind, both fun and serious.  Her first priority would be a round of sex, then some spanking, then a second round of sex, and finally some serious conversation.

Lisa had learned a lot over the summer and began her sexual encounter much differently than she would have during the spring.  She took her time with Ken, realizing there was no need to rush the experience.  She told him to place his hands against the wall and bend over slightly so she could massage his bottom and tease him in the front.  She told him not to move, spending a very long time both stimulating him and enjoying the feel of his body.

"You are such a naughty boy... such a naughty boy... what am I gonna do with you?"

"I... uh..."

"Don’t you be talking out of turn, bad boy.  You talk out of turn, and I’m gonna have to smack that bottom of yours... but I bet that’s what you want, bad boy... to have that bottom of yours smacked..."

Once Ken was totally desperate and his penis was throbbing with desire, Lisa got on her hands and knees on the floor.  This was her favorite position, her bottom spread and turned up and the most intimate parts of her body lewdly on display to her lover.  Ken entered her and thrust very hard.

Oh yes... oh yes... she had missed him so badly...

She still owed Ken a spanking, but wanted to experiment with not punishing him so savagely as she had during the spring.  Instead of using any implements, she simply sat down on a sofa and ordered him to lie across her lap.

As she ran her hand over his backside, Lisa lectured Ken about the need to always show her respect.  Then she began probing him with questions that implied a future relationship such as, "OK Bad Boy, from now on, what’s gonna happen if you don’t show me some respect?"

and...

"This is where you belong, right across my lap, isn’t it?  Of course bad boys like you need lots of loving spanking, don’t you think?"

and...

"You’re such a bad boy.  You know that, don’t you?  But that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?  To straighten you out..."

When Lisa finally did start spanking Ken, he was more than ready to receive her attention.  She spent a very long time, much longer than she had spent in the spring on a single spanking.  Between slaps she massaged his backside, partly to stimulate him and partly to prolong the experience as much as possible.

Lisa’s time with Kathleen had taught her a lot about erotic discipline, and now she had the opportunity to use that knowledge to redeem her relationship with Ken.  Before long, his erection had returned, and Lisa was back on her hands and knees with him safely inside her, thrusting and performing his duty in life to give her pleasure.

Lisa and Ken cleaned up, but their time together was far from over.  For the first time since the hiking trip she had him to herself and was free to spend some time talking.  She ordered him to set up a massage table and give her a massage while she talked to him about his summer of pledging.  He filled in the details about what he had done over the summer since that trip, including various episodes of sexual training and how he related to his fellow pledges.  Lisa gave Ken a summary of Brittany and Erin and talked a bit about their training.  She talked about Kathleen’s role as her assistant, and noticed something interesting.  Ken seemed to become very nervous as soon as Kathleen’s name was mentioned.

They changed places.  Ken got on the table and Lisa began massaging him.  Lisa had made a mental note over Ken’s reaction to hearing her talk about Kathleen, but she decided to change the topic to the upcoming fall semester and what classes they would be taking.   The conversation drifted to Ruth Burnside and then to the July 4th party.  Again, Ken became nervous.  Then something dawned on Lisa.  She never did find out what Ken did during the party when he wasn’t serving...

Rather than directly ask him, she decided to try something.  She grabbed his penis, looked hard into his eyes, and commented, "Of course, from what I heard, you kinda misbehaved at that party, didn’t you?"

Suddenly Ken began sweating and Lisa could tell that his heart was racing.  She gave him a very stern look. "I already know all about it, Ken.  But I’d like to hear your side of what happened."

"I... things just kinda happened... but please don’t blame Kathleen... I mean... we just got caught up... you know... we were watching Burnside whip that fat woman and we were both feeling kinda sexy... and..."

Lisa was totally shocked.  So... it was with Ken that Kathleen had cheated!  With Ken!  Who would have thought, that out of all those people at that party, Kathleen would have cheated with Ken!

With every bit of inner discipline she had, Lisa struggled to hide her reaction.  Stay cool, and get the full story.  She grabbed his testicles with her free hand and firmly clamped them in her grip.

"Ken, what pisses me is that you’re still not coming clean about what you actually did!  I’ve already told you, I want to hear your side of what you did because I need to decide how I’m gonna deal with it, but all I’m getting from you is a bunch of stuttering!"

She punctuated her final statement by tightening her grip on his testicles.  She wasn’t hurting him yet, but just a little more pressure...

Ken rapidly blurted out the details of his encounter with Kathleen, while Lisa struggled to maintain her outward calm.  The strong hand firmly encircling his testicles motivated him to keep talking.  Within a few minutes she had the complete story.

Lisa was not mad at all, although she would have to pretend to be.  Quite to the contrary, the only thing on her mind was how to use the shocking new knowledge to her advantage.  Also, she was quite pleased with how well she had kept her calm and totally tricked her two lovers.  Ken never suspected that she didn’t know.  Kathleen never suspected she didn’t know.  She had pulled it off perfectly, passing herself off to both of them as infallible and all-knowing.

"Well, I’m kinda curious, Ken.  Have you two thought about how you’re gonna make it up to me?  Have you talked to her at all about it?"

"I... no... we were kinda..."

"Kinda hoping I wouldn’t find out?"  Lisa rolled her eyes and shook her head.  "Ken... what were you thinking?  Of course I was gonna find out!  I already knew, but I was trying to give you the chance to come clean on your own.  I just wanted to see if you’d have the decency to tell me yourself.  Obviously you didn’t, and I’m very disappointed in you.  But yes, I already knew."

Lisa slightly increased the pressure of her grip.  Now Ken was feeling some discomfort that stopped short of pain.

"That’s what I’m mad about, Ken, the deception.  I don’t like it when people try to deceive me.  That’s why I’m pissed off.  It wasn’t the sex.  It was your stupid idea that you could fool me."

Lisa paused to let her words sink in.

"I’m gonna let go of your balls, but I want you on your knees as soon as I release you.  You get it?"

Ken nodded, his face full of humiliation and terror.  Lisa squeezed his testicles a bit more.  Now they hurt.

"No!  You don’t nod!  I’m a Four-Beta.  You’re just a pledge.  You’ll address me as ‘ma’am’."

"Yes, ma’am."

"That’s better."

Lisa released him and he scrambled off the table and knelt on the floor.  Lisa stepped up to him and ran her hand through his hair.

"So, how about it?  Give me some ideas about how you’re gonna make this up to me."

"I’ll do whatever you want, Lisa.  I don’t really know... I’ll just do whatever you want..."

"I guess that’s a good start.  Whatever I want..."

Lisa started collecting on his debt right away.  She demanded another massage, an orgasm from oral sex, and finally another round of straight sex.  She was very pleased with his performance.  Four orgasms in one day.  Not bad at all.

As Ken performed his duties, she paid close attention to his mood.  He seemed content and certainly had no hesitation obeying what she wanted him to do.

Lisa noticed a huge difference in her own attitude as well.  No longer was she playing sexual games with him.  Now she was dead serious.  There was no yelling, no vicious slaps across the face, no insults hurled in sexual play, just calm words spoken in a quiet, slightly menacing tone of voice.  The message she conveyed, without exactly saying it, was precisely the one that he subconsciously wanted to hear, "I deeply care about you, but I’m in charge and you must obey.  It is my path in life to command, and it is your path in life to serve.  If you can give me that, I will give you my love."

And yet, at the same time Lisa was able to speak to him with some tenderness, which was precisely what he needed after a very confusing summer of sexual experimenting.

When she kissed him goodbye and left the fraternity house, Lisa knew that in a single afternoon she had accomplished something extremely important with her once and future boyfriend.  For the first time in their relationship, she had truly seduced him.