The Pledge Mistress Ch. 38

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Lisa wondered if the Tri-Alphas would be invited to the swearing-in ceremony. It turned out that would wouldn't be, for a very simple reason. By Four-Beta tradition, for new members to be taken in the entire membership had to be present, and everyone attending the ceremony had to be naked. Eighty nude women would be gathered in the sitting room, which was dimly lit by candelabras placed behind the president's podium.

The pledges knelt in the basement for the very last time to allow Tracy to blindfold them and cuff their hands behind their backs. Elaine and four sophomores came down the stairs and stood at attention in front of the Pledge Mistress.

"Pledge Mistress Tracy. The chapter president has informed us that with you are four women who have qualified to join our community."

"That is correct, Sophomore Elaine. Please do me the honor of taking them before President Alexandra and the Four-Beta chapter."

"Very well, Pledge Mistress, we shall do you that honor."

A sophomore guided each pledge up the stairs to face the president's podium and pushed her into a kneeling position. Once the pledges were in place, President Alexandra and the other officers walked into the room and took their places at the podium. Like the pledges and everyone else about to enter the room, they were completely naked.

The members filed in next, first the seniors, then the juniors, and finally the sophomores. Brittany and Erin also would be present, but would have to wear blindfolds and sit in chairs in the back of the room. They would be allowed to be present at the ceremony, but not watch it. Like everyone else, they were required to undress before entering the room.

All of the sorority's members knelt once they had accommodated themselves by class. Upon seeing that everyone was kneeling, President Alexandra rang her antique hand bell and summoned her Pledge Mistress.

"I understand that in this room are four women who have completed the first part of their life's journey with the Four-Beta Sorority."

Tracy knelt.

"Yes, President Alexandra, my four companions have proven themselves worthy of joining our community."

"We are pleased to hear that, Pledge Mistress."

Alexandra then turned her attention to the entire membership.

"We must raise our voices in celebration."

What happened next was bizarre and somewhat frightening. The sound that came from the 80 kneeling women was not a chant, or a song, or even a cheer. Instead it sounded something like an air raid siren or a tornado warning. It was a long, deep-throated wail that went on for about 10 minutes and did not die down until the members had exhausted their voices.

When the wail died down, the pledges heard Tracy's voice.

"President Alexandra and members of the Four-Beta Sorority, my pledges have earned the right to bear the mark that will end their time of trial. Their time of trial began with the mark, and will end with the mark. I request permission to release my companions from their bonds, so that they may receive the mark and become one with the rest of us."

"Please release them."

For the second time the strange wailing filled the room as Tracy took off the pledges' handcuffs and blindfolds. She tossed the handcuffs to the side of the room, but handed the blindfolds back to their owners. Once Tracy removed the final blindfold the wailing abruptly stopped. The pledges looked up and realized that Alexandra, the other officers, and everyone else in their sight was naked.

Tracy handed Lisa a pair of scissors.

"Cut your blindfold in half. You don't need it anymore."

"Yes, Pledge Mistress Tracy."

Lisa cut her blindfold and handed the scissors back to Tracy.

Once each pledge had cut her blindfold, Tracy ordered Lisa to stand up, turn around, and face the members. All those kneeling women made a very eerie sight, with their bare bodies faintly illuminated by the dim candlelight.

Tracy picked up her riding crop and positioned herself in front of Lisa.

"Lisa Campbell, to finalize you passage into our community, you must bear the mark. Do you wish to receive the mark?"

"Yes Pledge Mistress, I wish to receive the mark."

"Very well, you will kneel before me for the very last time as my pledge, and you will be marked."

Lisa did as she was told. She took a deep breath and gripped her knees as Tracy tapped her with the riding crop. Three strokes on her front left shoulder, about halfway between her breast and collarbone, was how her pledging experience began. Three strokes in the same spot was how her pledging experience would end.

CRACK!

Lisa trembled and winced as a flash of white-hot pain seared into her. As Tracy waited for the burning to mount before delivering the second stroke, the sorority members wailed for a third time. Through her pain Lisa glanced at the faces in her audience, taking comfort in knowing that everyone in the room had gone through the same initiation ritual. She took a deep breath and waited for the second stroke...

CRACK!

As the pain rapidly intensified, Lisa put every bit of will she had into suppressing a scream. However, tears began rolling down her cheeks.

One more...One more...One more and then...

CRACK!

"Uh...Uhhh...."

Lisa gritted her teeth and trembled as the pain continued to mount in her shoulder. As she continued trying not to scream, the wailing from her audience intensified. The noise abruptly stopped when Tracy raised her hand.

"Lisa Campbell. Get off your knees. I no longer have the right to demand that you kneel before me. You have proven yourself and are now my equal."

Lisa struggled to her feet, her mind still mostly occupied by the burning welt rising on her shoulder, that angry patch of red on her skin that made her eligible to take the final Four-Beta oath.

One by one Lisa's companions went through the same ordeal. Cherine, the pledge that had been the most frightened at the beginning, made it through the strokes without a sound, although when she stood up her face was streaked with tears. Kathleen was the most stoic of the group, keeping her eyes fixated on her wailing audience and showing no reaction at all, other than slightly flinching each time the crop made contact. Bernadette started crying after the second stroke, but managed to hold her position until Tracy was finished and she was told to stand up.

A few minutes later Alexandra was back at her podium, ready to administer the oath for new members. The Four-Beta oath somewhat surprised Lisa. She had expected to have to repeat a lengthy statement honoring sisterhood or upholding the integrity of the Four-Beta sorority, but instead the oath was very short:

"As a member of the Four-Beta Sorority, I swear to honor those who came before me and stood where I'm standing now. I will do so by using the gifts with which I have been blessed to bear honest witness to the times in which I live."

To a Four-Beta, the phrase "bear honest witness" was very significant, because the term entailed an entire lifestyle of doing everything possible to improve the lives of the people whose lives intersected with those taking the oath. That included not only a lifetime of speaking honestly, but also making personal sacrifices for friends, family, and strangers, developing one's mind and continuing to learn throughout life, and using any acquired knowledge and skills to fight the strong and defend the weak.

The Four-Betas did not need an elaborate oath for their members, because they understood that what mattered most throughout a person's life were her actions, not her words and promises.