by Frank Limadere
Amy looked around at the confused scene around her and sighed. She had rarely felt so alone in her entire life. The pretty, petite eighteen year old was at her first day of college. She had always done well at high school and at least there she knew where she was. This sunny late summer day she had no idea. She was supposed to report to her sorority house of Phi Gamma Beta to sign up as a pledge and begin her orientation, but at the moment all she could see were students rushing to and from buildings in a confused mêlée. She set her suitcases down on the pavement and consulted a crumpled piece of paper in her hand. It was meant to be a map of the campus, but at the moment it may as well have been written in Chinese for all the sense she could make of it. She was meant to be at the sorority house by ten am sharp. Her older sister and her mother, who had both been members of Phi Gamma Beta had advised her that discipline in the sisterhood was strict and any infraction of the rules, including tardiness, was punished severely. Amy looked at her watch : five minutes to ten. She felt like bursting into tears. For all she knew the house could be on the other side of the campus. She was going to be the first pledge in history that was expelled before even making it to the sorority house.
There was nothing else for it. She had to ask someone. She screwed up all her courage and walked a few paces to a tall, tanned, attractive, athletically built dark haired girl a few years her senior in conversation with a friend. "Excuse me?" Amy interrupted their conversation politely.
The girl stopped talking to her friend and looked down at the nervous freshman. "Yes?" she inquired.
"I'm looking for the Phi Gamma Beta sorority house. Is it nearby?"
"Phi Gamma Beta? Are you a new pledge?" the girl asked, a smile playing across her full lips.
"Amy. Amy Mathieson and yes, I am."
The girl's bewitching green eyes sparkled, she lifted one finely muscled golden arm and pointed languidly at a large, double storied house just across the manicured green lawn and said "That's Phi Gamma Beta, honey and if you're a new pledge you had better get a move on or they'll boot your pretty little behind right out. Registration closes at ten sharp."
"Thank you," Amy said, whirling to pick up her cases.
"You're welcome and from now on you had better call me ma'am, sweetie, because I'm one of your big sisters, that is providing you can get over there in the next three minutes."
Amy felt a blush creeping up her freckled cheeks "Yes ma'am," she snapped over her shoulder, picking up her cases and hustling as fast as they would allow her. She squealed as her new 'big sister' calmly took a step towards her and planted a firm swat on her firm, round little bottom.
Breathing heavily and perspiring with exertion and nerves Amy struggled up the grassy hill and heaved her cases up the sorority house's steps. She planted her cases on the wide veranda’s wooden decking and looked at her watch: one minute to ten "Phew!" she gasped and sat down heavily on one of her cases.
The other two girls standing near the door looked at her.
One was a tall, very slender girl with a rebellious set to her face and long, shimmering chestnut locks that hung halfway down her back. The girl standing next to her was shorter, with a slightly plump, but pretty figure, a clear, smooth complexion, startling blue eyes and shoulder length, curly strawberry blonde hair.
The tall brunette held out a hand to Amy and said, "Jessica Sterling."
Amy took the offered hand, shook it and introduced herself. "Amy, Amy Mathieson."
The blonde smiled at Amy, gave her a hand and said, "Emma Casey."
Amy shook that hand too and nodded.
The door swung open and all three girls stared at it, hearts pounding.
Standing in the open doorway was a tall, well built black lady with short frizzy black hair and elegantly dressed. She smiled at the three girls and inquired with a soft drawl "Amy, Emma and Jessica?"
The girls nodded vigorously.
"I'm Stevie, your housemother. Come on in."
With relieved sighs the girls allowed Stevie to hustle them inside.
"Welcome to Phi Gamma Beta." Stevie greeted the girls, shaking each of the hands firmly as she took their names. "Leave your cases there," she directed, pointing at the foot of the stairs, "one of the girls will take them to your assigned rooms. For now let's have a little chat in my parlour."
The girls followed Stevie's straight broad back into her parlour.
The room was large and well appointed. It had a large armchair set up by a big fireplace that was currently cold and empty, but would warm up the room nicely in the colder months. There were two large leather couches sitting in front of and to the side of a sturdy, low coffee table. Near the big double windows was a huge mahogany desk, this was obviously where Stevie did some of her work. A computer monitor was set up on the desk and a large ledger lay open on the desks surface.
Stevie ushered the girls onto the couch and settled into the armchair, crossing her long legs before ringing a bell on the small table next to her chair. A red headed girl maybe a year or two older than the three sitting nervously on the couch came in, she was wearing an apron, upon which she was wiping her hands "Yes ma'am?" she asked.
"Heather," Stevie began, "these are your three prospective new sisters: Amy, Emma and Jessica, we'd like some refreshment whilst I explain the dos and don'ts of Phi Gamma Beta to them. Can you organize that please, dear?"
"Yes ma'am," Heather replied with a curtsey, before departing the room.
"You have maids, here?" Jessica asked Stevie.
Stevie let out a long loud laugh. "Goodness no! Didn't you hear me, Jessica? I said that Heather was your sister. All the girls, with the exception of seniors, are expected to serve during the day and at dinner. Once we've got you settled in, it will be your job during all of your pledge week. Generally it's rotated."
Jessica's face paled and she sank back into the couch. Serving! She hated serving! At home they had maids to serve them.
Emma sighed. This was no different to boarding school. Everyone had been expected to serve at table there. If you couldn't you had better be able to produce a pretty good reason, unless your bottom wanted to talk to matron's slipper. She had hoped she would not have to do it at college, but it wouldn't be that bad really. C'est la vie.
Amy hid a smile. She wasn't elated at having to serve the other girls, like some sort of maid, but at least she had been expecting it. Sometimes having a big sister could be useful.
Heather reappeared bearing a tray with a large teapot, steam gently curling from its spout, four cups and saucers and a milk jug, sugar bowl and four teaspoons, also a plate with some biscuits on it. Heather set the tray on the table and laid everything out. She poured a cup of tea, the hot liquid splashing into the cup and producing clouds of steam. Adding milk and sugar, she placed a spoon on the saucer next to the cup and handed it to Stevie. The black lady accepted it with a smile and the warning, "It had better be to my liking Heather, I'm sure you don't want another chat with Ms Sting just yet, young lady."
"No ma'am," the girl whispered with a wince and a rub of her pert bottom. "How do you take your tea, please?" she asked the three girls.
As they told her their preferences Stevie advised,"Make the most of it while you can girls. Most of your first year at Phi Gamma Beta will be spent learning how to please your sisters, not having them please you."
The girls sat back uncomfortably as Stevie looked at them over the rim of her teacup, her slightly slanted black eyes assessing them all mentally. Jessica was a spoilt brat. She came from a wealthy family. She had been given everything she had ever wanted. She threw tantrums when she did not get what she wanted. Her family had made her join Phi Gamma Beta to instil discipline in her life. Stevie was an expert at that and she taught 'her girls' well. She sat easily enough now, but that would soon change. Emma was essentially well behaved, but she was attractive and she knew it and often flirted, losing her usual common sense around boys and the few genuine beatings she had received in her life had been as a direct result of this flirtatious nature. Amy was a good girl, a little shy, both her mother and her sister having been popular and important members of the sorority. It was hoped that the youngest Mathieson girl would follow in their footsteps. Based on what little she knew of them so far, Stevie could see Amy Mathieson as being the standout of the trio.
"What do you know about our little sisterhood?" Stevie asked unexpectedly, breaking the uneasy silence.
"It's one of the smallest, but hardest to enter sororities on campus," Emma answered, her cup paused halfway to her lips.
Stevie nodded and asked, "Why is that?"
"Academic standards and the fact that many sisters have good connections external to the sorority," Jessica replied, setting her now empty cup down and nibbling on a biscuit.
"Good, good," Stevie encouraged. "How do we keep the high standards we have set?"
Amy swallowed a mouthful of tea and said one word - "Discipline."
Stevie lowered her cup and treated the girls to a dazzling smile. "Correct."
"Do any of you know what form that discipline takes?"
Before any of the girls could answer, Stevie spoke again, directly to Amy. "Amy Mathieson? You would be Jade Mathieson's sister? Carla Winterley's daughter?"
"Yes ma'am," Amy said softly.
Stevie smiled, her almond shaped eyes going back through the years. "I thought so. Your sister was a handful, let me tell you and the tricks your mother and I got up to, well best not give you ideas. I'm sure they've told you a little about how we keep our girls well behaved."
"Not really ma'am," Amy replied, shifting uncomfortably as she realized all eyes in the room were on her, "They just said it was strict and that I would respond well to it."
"You will," Stevie reassured her, "you all will. As none of you seem to be aware of some of our traditions I will fill you in. Please feel free to avail yourself of more tea. There's plenty in the pot and we will be here for a little while yet."
Stevie settled into her chair and warmed to her topic. "Amy said that we instil discipline in our girls and that is what we do. Discipline is enforced on a regular basis by all sisters and myself. There is a weekly discipline session every Friday night and all sisters are required to attend. Any failure to attend results in immediate dismissal from the sorority."
Jessica refilled her cup, sipped her tea, licked her frosted pink lips and asked in a small voice "What form does the discipline take, Stevie?"
Stevie's black eyes fixed the girl and she answered the question with one of her own. "Have you ever been spanked, Jessica?"
The tall girl was so shocked at the question she nearly dropped her cup. "Ummmm... no I haven't."
"Hmmm... pity," Stevie sniffed. "It would have done you a world of good, young lady. You will be spanked here."
"What?" Jessica blurted, standing up. "I'm out of here!"
"Sit down!" Stevie's voice cracked like a whip and made Emma and Amy jump.
A defiant look in her hazel eyes, Jessica remained on her feet.
Stevie let a long breath out between her full lips, set her cup and saucer down on the table with a click and with an extremely quick movement stood, took a firm grip on Jessica's wrist and slapped her thighs hard, punctuating each stinging blow with a word "I said sit down, little girl!" she jerked Jessica back into her seat and held her there by the shoulders. "You can leave the sorority if you wish, Jessica, but you will do me the courtesy of at least listening to the rest of my talk. Do you understand that?
"Yes," Jessica muttered insolently, her eyes on the floor.
Stevie let go of one slender shoulder, placed one well manicured forefinger under Jessica's chin and used it to lift the girl's face. "Look at me when you speak and when you answer me it is Ma'am or Miss Stevie. Do you understand me?"
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