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  “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
/>   were driving us in circles to keep us in suspense before they brought

  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.”