Sisterhood - Initiation Ch. 01

Ellen steered them immediately to the left along a second smaller, lower corridor like the one by which they had entered. This one was darker, without windows, but short. It ended at a blank wall. Ellen turned to the right and Leah saw a pair of stout wooden doors. Ellen swung the doors open, ushering them through. They stepped in, Caroline first, then Leah.

"Oh wow!" Caroline enthused, turning to look at Leah. The space on the other side was out of all proportion to the size of the entrance. They had entered at the side of what was surely the main space of the building, a big, church-like vault flanked by two rows of pillars. The floor was polished wood, and the ceiling, high up above them, was composed of several crossed stone arches. At the nearer end of the room to their right was a much grander entrance, the arched open door that they had seen a moment earlier from the outside. Here, several small groups of girls were just entering. In the middle of the hall, the floor of the room was already quite closely packed. Lone girls or small groups were leaning against pillars, chatting, some of them sipping from cocktail glasses. In the opposite wall, a small door like the one through which they had just entered was disgorging yet more groups of girls from another corridor. At the furthest end, to their left, the shape of the hall was rounded, like the apse of a cathedral, and a grand crescent of high windows poured the light of the sun down onto the floor.

Leah turned to Ellen, who stepped in behind her, carefully closing the door, "Nice, isn't it?" she raised her hand with a proud smile to gesture up at the far off ceiling.

"Lovely," Caroline replied.

"Though I'm a little underdressed for the ballroom," Ellen giggled.

"This is really nice," agreed Leah. Looking around, what struck her after she had paused to take in the vast grandeur of the hall and the various elegant dresses on display, was how good-looking so many of the girls were. She looked down at where her own tight dress clung to her body, and was suddenly, awkwardly self-conscious. She felt the weight of her big backside swing heavily behind her as she stepped into the room.

"You alright?" Caroline turned from gazing up at the ceiling to look at Leah.

"Oh yes, fine," Leah replied quickly, "Just admiring." She took Caroline's hand and followed as Ellen led them forward towards the center of the room, where the groups of girls seemed to be slowly coming together, huddled a little more densely. Ellen brought them to a stop in a convenient space close to the edge of the gathering crowd. There seemed to be a slight hush as a few groups stopped chattering or lowered their voices, and Leah felt a momentary nervous flush, worried that their entrance had somehow drawn the crowd's attention. But then a movement caught her eye from across towards the far end of the hall, where she had not yet noticed a broad wooden dais, set between two of the huge pillars that flanked the hall. One by one, the girls standing around them gradually stopped talking to one another and turned their heads towards the dais.

"It's about to start," Ellen whispered, stepping between Leah and Caroline and placing her hands on their shoulders.

"The welcome address?" whispered Leah back.

Ellen nodded. Peering between the bodies and over the heads and shoulders in front of her, Leah watched a tall figure climb the stairs at the edge of the dais and stride confidently out onto the middle of the stage. Leah recognized right away the long silky red hair, the fair skin and slender but curvy figure of Marianne. She was not dressed quite as formally as many of the other girls present. She wore plain, tight black leggings and flat shoes, and over the leggings to just above her knees fell a neat, oriental-style, dark green dress with short sleeves and a collar, and a floral pattern embroidered into the shiny fabric.

Marianne turned to face her audience, flashing the same cool smile she had worn the evening Leah had first met her. Marianne's hair fell for a moment in front of her face and she tossed it casually over her shoulder with a shake of her head. Leah felt her heart pulse a little harder.

"Um," Leah felt Ellen's small hand grip her arm just as Marianne's mouth opened to speak, "I'm afraid I really should go and get changed," Ellen whispered.

"Okay," Leah whispered back, not taking her eyes off Marianne.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, and I'll come find you here," Ellen continued, "Please enjoy the first dance if I'm not back by then, and get yourselves a drink from the bar."

"Dance?" Caroline whispered, not managing to keep her voice quite as low as Ellen's.

"Okay," Leah replied, finally tearing her gaze away from the stage, "Please, take your time. Don't worry about us. We don't want to take you away from your friends. We'll get a drink and take a look around."

"No, it's my pleasure to look after you. You're our guests," Ellen turned to walk away, "I'll be around," she waved as she made her way through the sparse crowd of girls that had now gathered behind them.

Before turning back to face the stage, Leah's eyes met Caroline's. Caroline flashed her a mischievous, friendly grin and took her hand, "Isn't this exciting?"

Leah smiled and nodded, squeezing Caroline's hand, and turned her attention back to what Marianne was saying. The sun, low in the sky, beamed across from the high windows behind them to shine directly down onto the dais, illuminating Marianne's pale white skin and the lush color of her dress.

Leah stared, savoring Marianne's voice as it sounded out, loud but calm across the now hushed, crowded hall. Her manner of speech was clean, clipped, each consonant sounded briskly but clearly, the vowels ringing out like the pure notes of a piano. Though high-pitched, Marianne's voice seemed to resonate all around as if amplified. Leah looked about but saw no speakers or microphone, and surmised that the effect was simply the result of the acoustics of the hall, the curved arches of the ceiling and of various alcoves at the edges of the main space providing an echo that was robust enough to lend a certain volume and drama to Marianne's words without drowning them in reverberation.

Mesmerized, Leah caught up to herself and realized she wasn't really paying attention to what Marianne was saying. "... and so," Leah heard, "welcome Sisters, and friends, and guests, to this, our eighth Summer Ball," Marianne opened her arms and held them out towards the crowd in front of her in a symbolic embrace, "Please make yourselves at home, enjoy yourselves, indulge yourselves, and, of course, indulge one another," the sly, cool smile on her face widened just a little. Marianne seemed entirely at ease, confident, even happy to be standing speaking in front of what had become a very large crowd.

"There are so many people here," Leah whispered to Caroline. Leah would herself never dare to stand up and speak to such a large number. On the few occasions she had had to do so, to deliver a short speech or help organize an event, her cheeks had flushed hot red almost immediately, and her throat had locked up, throttling her voice to an embarrassing croak.

Caroline held up her finger with a smile, "No. So many girls," she grinned, "And so many really hot girls."

It hadn't escaped Leah's attention. All around them were crowds of very elegantly dressed young women. They were of all colors and shapes, most light-skinned, but some dark, blondes and brunettes, some tall and slender, others curvy. Although perhaps not all of them were particularly Leah's preferred type, there wasn't one of them that Leah did not find at least a little bit attractive.

"For those of you who are here on business," Marianne went on, "the Sisterhood convenes before dawn as usual. And for those of you here on pleasure, enjoy. Please do take advantage of the bar. Drinks are on us. The gardens are open," she gestured across towards the large main entrance where some girls were still drifting into the hall, "And so, of course, I now invite you to take your partners and join in the inaugural dance," Marianne spoke slowly, smiling, as if to ease her audience gently out of her spell and back into the real world. At least that is how it seemed to Leah. She slowly came to her senses as she watched Marianne stride gracefully across the stage and back down the short flight of wooden steps.

"Hello there?" Leah heard Caroline's voice and felt her squeeze her hand.

"Oh, hi," Leah turned to face Caroline, blushing.

Caroline held her hand up to her lips, "Are you drooling?"

"What?" Leah gasped, reaching for her face. Then she saw the mischievous laugh break out across Caroline's face.

"So," Caroline looked about her, "What should we do now?"

"Um," Leah looked around. The chatter that had slowly begun to fill the hall before Marianne had begun speaking had returned, and was quickly getting louder. It also sounded slightly different, laced with a new hint of excitement, the occasional giggle or cry of delight. Some parts of the hall had gotten very crowded, but Leah noticed that the area where they were standing, a wide, rough rectangle stretching from the front of the stage to the row of pillars behind them, was starting to thin out, as some girls were moving briskly away towards either far end of the hall, while a few others in smaller groups of two or three were taking their place, spacing themselves out neatly in intimate clusters.

"Mademoiselle," Caroline took one step closer to Leah so that their bodies came together, face to face. She put one arm about Leah's waist, grinning, "May I perhaps have the pleasure of the first dance?"

"Oh," said Leah, "I suppose we should dance, shouldn't we?"

"Just the first dance," said Caroline, taking hold of Leah's body and clasping it tightly to her in a formal hold, "Then I promise I'll take you for a drink and you can bore me to death about how you have the hots for the lovely Marianne."

"Okay," Leah blushed again. It was true of course, and Caroline had seen it clearly. What Leah wanted most of all at that moment was to rush over and catch Marianne as she left the stage, whisk her off to some quiet spot, declare her desire and, hopefully, be whisked off her feet in turn. But of course there was no way she would have the courage to do something so bold. Leah stole a glance over her shoulder to see whether she could see where Marianne had headed to, but there was a sudden fanfare of music, and Caroline twisted her gently around into the first few steps of the dance.

"You alright?" Caroline asked, holding Leah tightly.

"Yes, fine," Leah smiled, "I'll just follow your lead."

"Okay, let's go," Caroline smiled and laughed, striding out into the middle of the dancing area, darting between two other pairs of girls. She increased the pace of her steps a little, pulling firmly on Leah's arm and waist to carry her along. Leah staggered awkwardly at first, nearly stumbling. but Caroline was strong and capable, and after a few false starts Leah was able to just let herself be led.

Leah tried hard to relax and enjoy the dance, but her mind and her heart were racing with nervousness. She hoped that Caroline could not feel her body trembling. While listening to Marianne speak, Leah had felt suddenly, powerfully aroused, in a way that she hadn't been able to control. That warm, confident voice had seemed to soak into her, and she had felt her pussy begin to throb with heat. Now, pressed up against her cousin's tall, broad body, both of them braless and thinly clad in their tight dresses, the slowly fading throbs of her desire felt very awkward, incongruous. Leah tried to think of something else, blot Marianne's rapturously beautiful face from her mind's eye, but as she did so the awkwardness of feeling so turned on while holding on to her cousin's body gave way to her usual shy self-consciousness, and Leah wished only for the dance to be over quickly. The girls dancing around them were for the most part very tall and slim, very beautiful, and seemed to move effortlessly together, gliding easily into each new space that opened in front of them. Leah on the other hand, as she trotted and staggered, could physically feel her big, heavy backside swing and shake as Caroline yanked her this way and that. Her breasts at least were for the most part pressed up tight against Caroline's, and it was only in occasional moments at which they stepped away from each other that Leah felt them bounce uncontrollably, her free arm instinctively reaching to hold them in place.

Suddenly, a loud, shrill voice called out from somewhere in the middle of the dancing throng, "Aaand... change!" The couples dancing around them each spun apart, more or less in unison, though one or two seemed to have been caught off guard. The girls let go of their partners, some with a graceful fling from their arms, others just stepping apart, and the floor was quickly awash with wandering, single dancers, a lively, bustling confusion.

Leah looked up at Caroline, worried, "So we have to change partners or what?"

"I guess so," Caroline grinned, giving Leah a sudden tight hug. Then with a gleeful smile Caroline pushed Leah gently away, arms outstretched, giggling, "So long, partner!"

"Whoa!" Leah teetered and lurched across the empty space in front of her, then fell straight into a waiting embrace. The arms that took hold of her, though slender, tensed strong and rigid, steadying her until she could pull herself up straight.

"Well hello there," Leah looked up to see Marianne's beautiful face looking down at her.

"Oh hi!" Leah was so taken by surprise that to her great chagrin she almost shrieked out her greeting.

"This is a nice surprise," Marianne's cool, enigmatic expression flickered with the faintest of sly grins, blue-green eyes twinkling.

"Likewise," Leah flustered.

"So, shall we?" Marianne didn't wait for a reply, but clasped Leah's body tightly to her own, pulling her away in a smooth sweep across the floor. Leah turned and watched Caroline take hold of another girl nearby and stride off in a quick waltz.

Leah felt able to speak only after a minute or so, having taken time to fall in with Marianne's leading rhythm, "Thanks for inviting us," she said.

"My pleasure," smiled Marianne, "I'm glad you came. Do you like it here?"

"It's really, really nice," Leah enthused, smiling. Marianne looked just as lovely as Leah remembered, or even more so. Marianne's luscious red hair hung in a smooth, silken wave down one side of her face, and after every few steps of the dance she gave a brisk, ponylike toss of her head to sweep it aside. On her high heels, Leah was nearly as tall as Marianne was in her flat shoes, and they danced more or less face to face, Leah able to feel the lightest brush of Marianne's cheek against hers, and the ticklish caress of Marianne's hair on her neck. As her surprise and her nervousness began to ebb away, Leah felt inside her the same swelling, urgent desire she had felt the last time she had met Marianne.

"Am I holding you too tightly?" Marianne asked.

"What?" Leah realized she was staring into Marianne's eyes, her mouth gawping open, "Oh, no! No, it's fine."

"So," Marianne smiled, "It's very lovely to have you here, and your cousin. What was her name again?"

"Caroline," Leah replied. She hoped that Marianne wasn't too interested in Caroline.

"Caroline. Lovely," Marianne continued, "I very much look forward to spending some time with you both later on. But, unfortunately, for now I have to attend to my duties as hostess for a little while. Meeting and greeting, tedious stuff."

"Are you in charge of the ball?" Leah asked.

"Sort of, yes. Me and some other girls," Marianne rolled her eyes, "Such a chore."

"Well, you're doing a great job. It looks like it's going really well," said Leah.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me that our guests enjoy themselves here."

"I'm certainly enjoying myself," Leah laughed nervously.

Marianne paused to look Leah in the eye, "So am I," she said, "And now, much as I would very much love to spend the rest of the evening dancing with you, I must go."

"Oh," Leah heard the disappointment in her own voice.

"May I kiss you?" Marianne said quietly.

Leah didn't know what to say, suddenly taken aback, "Um, of course," she managed, after a brief silence.

Marianne stopped dancing, held Leah tight, and the two of them stood still while Marianne, to Leah's great surprise, planted a soft kiss on her lips. Marianne's mouth opened, Leah opened hers in response, and for a brief moment she felt the warm, smooth caress of Marianne's tongue.

"So, I must tear myself away," said Marianne with a sigh, pulling away from their embrace. It seemed to Leah as though there was a tinge of genuine regret in her voice.

"Oh, um, okay," Leah stammered. Her whole body pulsed with an agonizing, hot desire, her pussy throbbing hard against the tight string of her thong.

"Perhaps I can leave you in the hands of someone who may take care of you?" Marianne took Leah's arm.

"Sure," Leah replied, "That would be nice."

"If you promise me I can have you back later," Marianne's inscrutable, pouting mouth curled into the slightest of smiles.

"Yes, I promise," blurted Leah, more eagerly than she had wanted.

"Then please," Marianne pulled gently on Leah's arm to turn her around, and Leah pivoted on her heels to come face to face with another girl, "This is Lena," Marianne spoke into Leah's ear from behind her.

"Hi," said Leah, still somewhat flustered. She leaned forward for a greeting kiss.

"Lena, this is Leah, a very special guest. Please see that she and her friend have a good time at our ball this evening," Marianne squeezed Leah's shoulders. Then she turned and strode away.

Leah looked over her shoulder to see Marianne's big, soft buttocks bounce and sway beneath her dress as she made her way through the dancers and the minglers towards the far end of the hall.

Leah looked back at Lena, who held out her hands. She was very slim, and strikingly beautiful, the sort of elegant, angular beauty that put Leah in mind of a classical sculpture. Her white skin was very lightly tanned, and rosy red at her cheekbones. Her petite nose had the faintest hint of a cleft at its tip, and her eyes were clear blue. She wore her light blonde-brown hair tied up in a tight ponytail behind her head, baring her long neck. She wore smart, tight blue denim jeans and flat shoes, and an equally tight, soft-looking blue and white striped long-sleeved top. "Shall we dance?" Lena's voice was surprisingly deep and womanly for such a slim girl.

"That would be lovely," Leah replied, reaching out awkwardly to take hold of Lena's waist. Lena pulled her close and pressed their bodies tightly together, with the same firm but gentle strength that Leah had felt in Marianne's embrace. Then with a slow leading stride Lena guided Leah across the floor, in among the other dancing couples.

"Are you enjoying our ball?" Lena's husky voice whispered in Leah's ear.

"Yes, very much," replied Leah enthusiastically.

"And your friend?" Lena asked. She spoke softly, not quite whispering, but her voice smooth and quiet, only audible above the chatter and excitement of the hall because Lena held her mouth close to Leah's neck.

"My cousin," Leah tried to reply with the same quiet, nonchalant confidence that she felt in Lena's voice, holding her lips close to Lena's neck, "My cousin came with me, Caroline."

"Your cousin?" Lena sounded vaguely intrigued.

"Yes, the invitation said to bring someone along, and I thought she might enjoy it. She enjoys parties."

"And you?" Lena looked down at her for a moment, as if trying to read her face, "Do you enjoy parties?"

"Well I am really enjoying this," Leah replied earnestly.