“Hey, we were just about to call you,” I said.
Her face dropped, her eyes bugging wide. “You’re not backing
out are you?”
“No, but how did you know we’d—”
“One hundred and forty-seven years and no one has ever said
no.” “Fair enough.”
“So now what?” Amy asked over my shoulder.
Danni handed us each a garment bag. “You’ll be ready at nine
p.m. sharp. Someone will come for you.” She cocked her head to
the side and looked us over before she went on. “Camila prefers it
if you wear your hair down. Bye.” She grabbed the knob and pulled
the door closed before we could ask any questions.
I unzipped the garment bag and laid the white eyelet dress on
the bed. Well, it wasn’t exactly a dress.
“Is that a nightgown?” Amy asked.
“Yup.” There was a small red bag pinned to the hanger. Inside
was a long white ribbon. I ditched it on my bed along with the
hanger, then I held the baby-doll-style nightie up to my body. It
came about an inch or two below my crotch.
“See! This is exactly what I was talking about. They’re going
to parade us around in lingerie and then make us screw the Omega
Beta Alpha boys and tape it.”
• 31 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Shut up. They would never make us do that,” Amy said,
holding her own scrap of lace up in front of her chest. “It is kinda
kinky.”
“Yeah, kinky. Amy, I swear if pictures of me in this thing end
up on the Internet, I’m going to kill you.”
“They won’t. Hey, who’s Camila?” We’d met all twenty-four
active members of Alpha Beta Omega, but there hadn’t been anyone
named Camila.
“Oh. I don’t know.” I didn’t, but I had an idea of who it might
be.
❖
Three girls on our floor had accepted their bids to different
sororities. All three of them beat Amy and me to the shower. I let
Amy go first while I got our curling irons out. In an effort to up
her overall sex appeal, Amy had brought a warehouse worth of
black lace bras and panties with her to school. Lucky for her, we
were nearly the same size and I swore by simple white cotton. I
threw her one of my bras. I drew the line at lending her a pair of
underwear. She had to settle for a light yellow pair she usually
wore on laundry day.
After I pulled on the nightie, I almost reconsidered the bra. The
tight lace of the top pushed my boobs together plenty without the
use of underwire, if only it hadn’t been see-through.
We took turns doing each other’s hair. My red mane was so
bright that sometimes I could swear it glowed in the dark. Thank
God it was fairly straight. We both added some volume to our locks
with big, soft curls. We had no idea what to do with the white ribbon,
so I wrapped Amy’s around her head like a headband, tying a small
bow off to the side. She did the same with mine. They didn’t say
anything about shoes, so we both grabbed a pair of flip-flops from
our closets. Then we sat on our beds to wait. For some reason, I
couldn’t stop playing with my hands.
“You don’t think they’ll hit us, do you?” Amy asked. I looked
at her. I’d never seen her frightened before. I don’t think Amy had
• 32 •
Better Off red
given the idea of us getting hazed any real thought until we actually
started getting dressed. She’d been so focused on getting a bid, on
getting into parties and meeting a cute guy, that she never considered
the reality of what might happen to her if she agreed to go through
with initiation. I knew I’d made the right choice to go with her.
“They won’t. But…”
“But what?” Amy’s eyes sprang wide.
“Nothing. They won’t hit us, and if they do we leave, okay?”
“Okay.”
I patted Amy on the knee and then I sent texts to Todd and my
mom, telling them where we were going, just in case.
❖
At nine on the dot, there was a knock on our door. I gave Amy
a weak smile and went to open it. She hadn’t said a thing while we
waited. It freaked me out a little.
This time Paige and Cleo stood in the hallway. The playful
glint in Cleo’s eye made me feel a little bit better. I didn’t think they
would actually do anything cruel or painful to us, but I was still a
little rattled. I swallowed, trying not to sound nervous.
“Hey. We’re ready.”
“No, you’re not.” Cleo’s tone was dry.
“But what—”
“Lose the underwear. All of it.” I cursed under my breath as
Cleo and Paige stepped into the room. Amy and I quickly pulled off
our undies and our bras. I glanced up at her. Considering I was in the
same nightie, it was clear you could totally see my nipples, and even
though I did some pretty decent landscaping in the shower, I should
have shaved my pubes all off. Amy looked back at me and I could
tell she wished she had too.
“I need your keys, your dorm cards, and your cell phones,”
Paige said. The look on her face was typically blank. Now she
looked annoyed, and I knew we needed to hurry. We grabbed our
stuff and dropped it in a black sack Paige seemed to pull out of
thin air.
• 33 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Now you’re ready. No more talking from here on out,” Cleo
said, all humor gone from her voice. She handed Paige a white
blindfold before she stepped behind me and told me to close my
eyes. The cloth wasn’t uncomfortable, just tight enough that it
would have irritated the crap out of me if I tried to open my eyes.
“Open your hand.” Cleo’s voice was right by my ear. I lifted my
hand and felt my open palm cupped with Amy’s. She was shaking. I
was able to sneak in a quick reassuring squeeze before we were led
out the door.
❖
If the sisters of Alpha Beta Omega had set out to leave us
disoriented and confused and, in Amy’s case, scared shitless, well
then, they deserved some sort of award for their efforts.
After getting over the initial embarrassment of everyone in
the lobby seeing my nipples at full attention and knowing that my
hair color did match, floor to ceiling, I had the pleasure of tripping
down the front stairs. I almost took Amy with me. Cleo managed to
catch me before we both face planted into the concrete. I was pretty
uncomfortable from the start, but the blind misstep had my heart
thumping in my chest.
They loaded us into some sort of bus. I only knew because we
had to walk up a few steps before we were seated. Then they took
our flip-flops. A few moments later, we were moving. Danni had
told us there would be twelve new members total. I didn’t know
how many girls were with us when we got on. From the amount of
unsteady breathing and the way the air moved, I knew it had to be
at least eight or nine.
We’d been driving for a long time and it became obvious they
us back to the ABO house. At least I figured that’s where we were
going.After an hour or so, the bus stopped and the door hissed as it
opened.
• 34 •
Better Off red
“Take the hand of the one beside you.” The tone was formal,
but I could tell it was Barb.
Amy hadn’t let go of my hand since we’d left the dorm, so I
reached to my left in a clumsy attempt to grab at the nearest person.
A soft, warm hand with thick fingers intertwined with mine just as
Barb told us to stand. We were led off the bus slowly. Barb had
probably been warned about my spill.
I tried to take in everything about my surroundings as we
walked, but I couldn’t. Amy was still shaking, and once we were
inside, we were led through several halls, each with sharp turns.
When we finally came to a stop, our hands were separated
and then we were gently turned so we were standing shoulder to
shoulder. I could feel Amy take a few deep breaths, and slowly, she
stopped trembling. The girl to my left was taller than me. Her arm
felt like her hand, warm and soft and a little bit doughy. When my
blindfold was removed, I wanted to look to see who it was, but what
I saw in front of me told me I should wait.
It didn’t take long for my eyes to adjust to the dim candlelight.
The dark marble room around us was definitely set up for a ceremony,
but I ignored the details. I couldn’t focus on anything but the woman
standing on the other side of the wide marble floor. The one I wanted
the most, the one with the gorgeous red lips and the beautiful hazel
eyes. There were other women standing beside her. To her left was
a tall female with white-blond hair cut sharply along her chin and
bangs trimmed bluntly across her forehead. Beyond her stood a
muscular woman with wavy brown hair down to her waist. Her skin
was pale and her eyes were big and the same deep brown color as
her hair. A short woman who looked Native American stood beside
Hazel Eyes on her right, and on her other side there was another
woman of African descent, whose hair was in perfectly shaped locks
that hung past her shoulders. The last woman was Asian, and she
had the most seductive look about her. Something about the curve
of her mouth and the way her hair was swept up in an elegant loose
bun. All six of them carried an erotic air, lustful and lethal.
• 35 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I wouldn’t have noticed any of the others at all if it weren’t for
the fact that they were nearly naked. A delicate weaving of black
chain mail laced with small rubies barely covered the spot between
their legs. Each woman was beautiful in her own way, but I couldn’t
keep from staring at my Hazel Eyes.
From across the room, I could tell she was just a little taller
than me. Her red lips were just as plump and full as I’d remembered
them. Her proportions were flawless. I gazed over her golden skin,
tracing the curves of her perfectly shaped thighs up to her full breasts
tipped with dark brown nipples that were meant to be worshiped.
My heart was racing again and my palms started to tingle. If I hadn’t
been under the watchful eye of about three dozen other people, I
would have made a move to touch her, or at least ask her her name.
A movement to her left snapped me out of my trance. The woman
with the white-blond hair stepped down from the elevated marble rise
where the six of them stood. Her eyes were bright blue and she wore
the same red lipstick as Hazel Eyes. When she spoke, a thick Eastern
European accent dripped from every disinterested word.
“We are going to do things a little differently tonight. You will
have three chances to leave. If you decide that you must, no one will
stop you. There will be no repercussions, but you will not speak
unless you are asked. Unless you are asked individually, you will
answer as one. Is this understood?”
To my surprise, we all replied with a confident “Yes.”
“We are not like the other organizations on campus,” she
continued, her tone unaffected. “If you choose to remain with us
through this night, you will remain with us always. Is this understood?”
Another “Yes” filled the air. I don’t remember mustering any
effort to agree, but my voice was there joining in the reply.
“Now is your first chance. If there are any of you who wish to
leave, please step forward.” Nobody moved. “Are we to understand
that you all wish to remain?”
Again, “Yes” echoed off the marble.
“Wonderful,” she continued. “My darling Danielle, you may
begin.” The woman turned and walked back to the platform. When
she was back with the other women, my gaze shifted to Hazel Eyes.
• 36 •
Better Off red
I nearly gasped as her eyes settled back on me. Even as Danni began
to speak, her eyes held mine.
Danni’s voice came from just behind me. I could feel that she
was standing just between Amy and me.
“My Queen. If you will allow, it is my honor to present to you
thirteen potential donors. None are without fault, but all are pure of
heart and of clean body. They will all serve you as we and our sisters
before us have served you. And when they have completed their
term, they will go forth willingly and serve our master.”
It took me a moment to register the exact words Danni had said.
I was too busy staring at the woman in front of me, but finally they
clicked, and I wasn’t sure I was comfortable with what they meant.
Danni hadn’t mentioned anything about serving anyone, master or
otherwise. It was time to grab Amy and go.
As if she could read my mind, Hazel Eyes’s gaze narrowed
and her nostrils flared. Fear pierced through me, fear and arousal,
which scared me even more. My hand twitched toward Amy’s, but
for some reason I jerked it back before I touched her. Hazel Eyes’s
expression returned to normal and I realized I wasn’t in control of
my own body. She was. When she seemed confident I wouldn’t run,
she took a step forward. She must have been the queen.
“Do they understand the true nature of their purpose?” the
queen asked. Her voice was like silk, deep and smooth, so much
better than I’d imagined it. I felt myself sway a little as I blinked,
before refocusing on her face.
“No, they do not,” a group of voices called out from behind us.
“And do you believe once they discover the true nature of their
purpose, they all will remain?”
“We do,” the sisterhood behind us said.
It seemed to take some effort, but the queen looked away from
me and focused on a girl far to my left. If I glanced in that direction,
I could only see the thick neck and shoulder of the girl beside me. I
had no idea who the queen was looking at.
“Anna-Jade, tell me why are you here?”
A shy voice replied, “I’ve wanted to join a sorority. Layna and
Heather were really nice to me so I accepted the invitation.”
• 37 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
The queen nodded then looked to the other end of the line
and addressed a girl far to my right. Her name was Laura and she
gave pretty much the same answer. Two of the sisters of Alpha Beta
Omega had reached out to her and shown her the upside to making
friends through Greek life.
The queen carried on like this, back and forth down the line,
asking each of us why we had accepted our bid. Even though we
hadn’t been given the option in writing, we could have turned Danni
down when she showed up with our dresses, but we didn’t. Danni
and Cleo had completely won us over. Now I was terrified about
what they had gotten us into.
Finally, the queen spoke to a girl named Samantha, a few
people to my left.
“Samantha, tell me why you are here.”
“I just got a position on the university paper. There was a rumor
going around that ABO was involved with some underground secret
society involving vampires and demons.” The queen burst out
laughing, a rich, intoxicating sound. The others beside her laughed
as well, but they let Samantha continue.
“We all knew it was bullshit, but my editor wanted me to get in
and see what rumors I could confirm.”
“We welcome you, Samantha. Although, I doubt any of this
will end up in print,” the queen replied with a slight shake of her
head. I couldn’t believe the girl had admitted to spying. She could
have been born without a filter, or maybe she felt the same pull
toward the truth that I did.
The queen went on with her questioning, a slight grin on her
lips. “Benita, please.”
The girl next to me tried to speak up, but her voice was still low
and shy. “My mother is married to your master. He felt this was the
right place for me.”
“Ah, so you are the one. Do you feel this is the right place for
you?”“Yes, my Queen. I do. Danni and Cleo have made me feel less
anxious about being away from home,” Benita replied with a little
• 38 •
Better Off red
more confidence. She was the only one of us to address the queen so
directly. The queen seemed to enjoy it.
“I have to agree with your father. This is the perfect place for
you. And you prefer to be called ‘Benny’?”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Better Off Red Page 4