The Pledge Mistress
Copyright 2006 by EC
EC's Erotic Art & Fiction - http://www.ecgraphicarts.com/

(warnings: erotic discipline, sex between adults, medical fetish, public nudity, 
sexual hazing)

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 grit 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 end 
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.

