Zeta Pi Tau

This is a bit of a long chapter but stick with it. Kira and her roommate, Ellery, attend the first night of the Zeta Pi Tau rush. It may be stranger than they expected.

(Kira & Ellery)

Saturday was boring, but suspenseful. The joys of going out for a weekend breakfast and hot coffee and enjoying the freedom of not having any classwork so early in the semester was a luxury completely eclipsed by the anxiety and anticipation of waiting for the trial to be accepted into the most prestigious sorority on campus. For almost twelve hours, Kira paced back and forth in the cramped dorm with her roommate lightly kicking her legs out from a bar stool in tandem.

            “You really need to relax and sit down for a while, Kira; you’ve been at this all day.”

            “I know, Ellery, I just... it’s so exciting. And terrifying.”

            “Why terrifying? It’s just a glorified club.”

            “It’s not just a club, Elle, you get lifetime connections and networking from this kind of thing. Not to mention, this is supposed to be the hardest one to get into.”

            Ellery glanced over at the clock after noticing Kira did not have her shoes on, “Seeing as you so into this, shouldn’t you be getting ready to go?” she asked, “I know you’re not supposed early to a party, but we should probably head out soon... or now.”

            “You are absolutely right?” Kira chirped, she rushed over to her bed and slipped on a pair of casual but respectable flats and rushed to the door. “Well, are you coming?”

            “Yeah, just give me a second.” She buried her face in her phone for a few seconds, furiously tapping and texting and returned herself to attention when she put the phone back in her pocket.

            The two girls exited their third floor dorm took the elevator down the sterile while hall to street level and skipped across campus in the hot breeze until they came to the sidewalk near the road where many students lived in the off-campus housing. Most of the houses looked surprisingly well-kept and inviting, but they quickly made the end of their journey with dark and dastardly looking house.

            “Whoa. That’s definitely not what I was expecting from a sorority house,” Ellery stated, “Are you sure this is the right place?”

            “Yeah,” Kira said, she checked the note she made on her phone of the address just to be safe, but the number on the house and the street name both matched. “It’s cool at least.”

            “Cool?” Ellery raised an eyebrow, “This place looks like it’s ‘Exorcist’ levels of haunted?” As if the chipping paint and sand covered lawn weren’t discouraging enough, all the plants and grass appeared to have dried up years ago. A very bare tree stood in the front yard with a vine wrapped around it that chillingly resembled a noose where it hung from a branch. To top it all off, a stone gargoyle guarded the scratched up front door next to a viciously thick spider web.

            “Exorcist?” Kira joked, “Try Amityville.” She was starting to see where her roommate’s implied concern was stemming from but she didn’t show it; she wanted to remain calm and composed as if she had something to prove.

            “Seriously, Kira? Look at the state of this place and tell me you don’t expect to see 666 scrawled into the door somewhere.”

            “It’s not evil, Elle, we’re in the middle of the Mojave Desert. Everything just dry and... dead and... okay, so maybe it’s a little sketchy but let’s just go in and see.” She tapped the button for the doorbell, which from the inside of the house, sounded very broken; or at least in the need of tune-up job, and waited while the footsteps of someone in heels came to let them in. the door swung open and Kira and Ellery were greeted by a young woman wearing and expressively wide grin that was further emphasized by her bright red lips.

            “Hello hello hi!” she exclaimed very fast and joyously.

            “Hello?” Ellery said nervously.

            “Are you the new recruits?” the girl asked.

            “I guess so. We’re at the right place, right?” Kira inquired.

            “Of course. Don’t let the apparent lack of care scare you; our landlord does not keep up on it like he should. Come on in, your just in time for introductions.”

            Kira and Ellery followed the girl through the door and noticed how much nicer the house looked on the inside compared to the deprecated exterior. They made way to the living room which was furnished with lavish mahogany furniture and long, deep red curtains that matched the velvet sofa and chair. The room was full of various young women, both in the sorority and those hoping to be accepted; all were sitting in a circle on the floor, couch, chairs and wherever there was a space.

            “Thanks for waiting girls, we had two additional guests arrive a little late, but we are ready to begin our introductions now,” the girl said. Kira and Ellery sat down on the floor next to one of the other girls and the one who escorted them in stepped over to the side. Almost as if on cue, a very elegant looking young woman in a black, formal gown appeared on the staircase from the upper floor.

            “Good evening, ladies,” she said. As she approached the room, she ran her finger along the armrest of the sofa and stood at an open spot in the circle to give her introduction. “My name is Vesper Garretson,” she paused to move the curled hair from her dark face before continuing, “I am the head of Zeta Pi Tau and I want to personally wish you good luck for the next two nights as I hope to see each of you lovely new ladies become official members of Zeta Pi Tau.” Her demeanor was not as forgiving as the smile on her face and Kira noticed a couple of the other girls exchanged glances that seemed to confirm her own worries about what the future might hold.

            Vesper took a seat off to the side of the room and signaled to one of the other girls to stand up for her introduction. The next girl stood up in place and said her piece as though she had rehearsed it all from a script, “Good evening all: I am Autumn Roberts. I am a junior English major and journalism-German double minor. I know I can be quiet and reserved but I really enjoy talking to new people and I wish you all the best of luck getting in.”  

            Autumn sat down and the next girl stood up to speak. She was a very cheerful looking girl who, judging by her outfit of choice, clearly did not have a problem leaving little to the imagination of the various other people who must have seen her that day. Either she really enjoyed clubbing or felt that Las Vegas did not inspire modesty. “Hello, friends... and future friends. I am Isabelle Werner. I am the other senior Zeta Pi Tau member along with Vesper. What I enjoy the most about this organization is all the people I get to meet and the sights I get to see...” she scanned the entire circle, making eye contact with each of the new girls and giving an especially attentive grin to Kira. “I hope that we will all get to know each other well... very well, and I just want to say that even if you don’t make it into Zeta, that you will always be welcome here if you ever need anything.”

            She took a seat in place of the next introduction. The next girl had a much more familiar face; this time Kira and Ellery would be given the formal introduction of the friendly girl that led them into the house. “Hello hello hi!” she said joyfully, “My name is Skye Simms. I am a sophomore zoology major and nursing minor. I hope you all have fun tonight after we get all the hard stuff done. I am here to help you out with whatever you need as you complete the rush so please don’t hesitate to ask.”

            When she returned to her seat, there was a short silence through the room before a final sorority member entered the circle after finishing a text. “Before I introduce myself, I will apologize on behalf of Juliette; she got caught up at work and won’t be able to make it until really late.” She took another pause and took her glasses off. “My name is Danielle Evans, but everyone just calls me Dani, feel free to as well. I am a sophomore anthropology major; I also minor in geology. I am also a musician, I play piano and viola but I also play mallet instruments for the percussion ensemble every now and then when they need an extra player. I don’t often spend a lot of time at the sorority as I work most nights and am fairly busy with but you can almost always find me around campus at some point during the day if you ever want to hang out; I tend to have a pretty usual schedule.”

            I seemed like Danielle had barely finished speaking when Vesper decided to butt in and cut her off for sure, almost as if she was getting tired of listening to her talk. The way things were appearing so far, it seemed like Vesper was not nearly as pleasant to be around as the other girls who seemed much happier and friendlier. “Now that we have our introductions out of the way, it’s you turn, newbies.” She paused and panned the circle in much the same fashion as her fellow sorority sister, Isabelle, did. “We’ll go around the circle to each of you, you will stand up and introduce yourself. When you’re done, one of us will ask you a question: it may be general; it may be personal; it may be anything in between. Welcome ladies... the rush has officially begun.”

            Vesper made hard eye contact with the first girl in the circle, signaling her to stand up and give her piece. “Hello,” she peeped, “My name is Helen Coffer. I am from Fort Collins, Colorado, and I am a math major.”

            “Thank you, Helen,” Vesper said and proceeded to ask her question, “Tell me, Helen: why do you want to be a part of Zeta Pi Tau?”

            Helen stood blankly for a moment as if mimicking a deer in headlights, “I guess I never really thought about that question,” she said, “I’ve heard that joining a Greek organization on campus is a good way of making connections with people that can extend beyond college and I thought it would try it out.”

            “Thanks,” Vesper said. She appeared to write her off with the way her eyes shot away from her and moved on to the next student in the circle.

            “Okay, I guess I’m next. My name is Erica Vance. I am a double major in journalism and political science. I am also on the cheer leading squad and the dance team and writing for the school newspaper. I want to be a part of Zeta Pi Tau because I believe I can live up to the high academic standards that this organization holds.” She was certainly not humble about her confidence and ability to balance her apparently busy schedule.

            “Very nice, Erica,” Skye smiled, “But it’s time for my question; do you believe in the supernatural?”

            “My answer would be absolutely not; and I would feel concern for the future of this sorority if you or any other girls in here would suppose such outlandishly superstitious thoughts.”

            Kira leaned up next to Ellery’s ear, “She’s certainly a pleasant person,” she whispered.

            “That is some wise and semi-closed-minded insight, dear,” Skye concluded, “You may take a seat now.”

            As Erica sat down, the next girl stood up. She looked almost as elegant as Vesper with her dark, flower print dress and an exceptionally full head of long, thick locks of brown hair. She was definitely a textbook girly-girl according to Kira and certainly held a similar academic style to match, “My name is Layla Drennor, I am a music major with a minor in theater. I really enjoy reading books and attending plays and concerts. While I have a plan of where I want to take my degree in the future, I am really hoping to pursue a successful career in modeling.”

            “That was a wonderful introduction, Layla,” Isabelle said with a sinister smile, “A cute little biography and resume, but let’s get down to the question that everyone wants to know. And by we, I mean, I. So since I assume you have a bit of an expertise in fashion and beauty, tell me: if you had to choose one girl in this room to represent at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, who would it be?”

            “Oh. Um. Uh. I don’t know, I guess... her.” Layla stuttered and pointed at Kira.

            “Me? If you really knew me at all then you’d know that’s a mistake.”

            “I’m sorry, she put me on the spot. I mean... if�"”

            “No worries, hon,” Isabelle concluded, “You answered the question, I’ve heard all I need. We can carry on now.” Before she leaned back in her seat for the next introduction, she showed no hesitation in shooting Kira a very intrigued look.

            The next girl stood up at her spot and provided everyone with a very sheepish introduction to herself, “Hi. I’m Claire Turner. I am an art major here. I don’t know why I thought about joining Zeta Pi Tau. I guess I figured I would try expanding my horizons more.”

            “You seem a little tense,” Danielle said as she scooted forward from her spot on the rug, “I know we’re all strangers here but that is why we’re doing this.” She seemed very understanding and supportive of the clearly introverted girl, almost as if she had gone through the same thing herself.

            “Sorry...”

            “It’s okay. I guess it’s my turn to ask a question. You have a very pretty voice; it’s really quite soothing to listen to you,” Ellery and Kira though they could see Isabelle and Vesper roll their eyes at Danielle’s monologue, “Do you sing at all? Performance-wise I mean.”

            “Not really. I occasionally sing in the choir at church, but otherwise I don’t. I’m not really a ‘get out in front of people’ kind of person.

            “Maybe you should host a show on the college radio station. I bet people would love to hear you if you gave them the chance.”

            “Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

            Claire sat down in her spot on the rug and the cycle continued counterclockwise and the next girl stood up from the chair she sat in. “Hello. My name is Kim Laurie, I am a biology major with an emphasis in embryonic stem cell research. I am also a geography minor, I really enjoy traveling and my hope in the future is to bring modern medical technology to third world nations and help everyone around the globe come closer to peace.”

            “Wow, she has some ambitions,” Ellery whispered to Kira.

            “That was a nice intro, Kim,” Autumn said, “You say you hope to help bring the world a step closer to peace. Do you think world peace can be a viable concept when our own nation is in a constant state of social and political turbulence?”

            “That is a very thoughtful question. I will say without hesitation that there can never be world peace as long as there are barriers that separate us,” Kim explained, she certainly had a knack for public speaking skills, “In order to bring the world together in everlasting peace, we need to let go of those barriers and realize that we are all one. Different species have conflict amongst themselves, but only humans have the ability and desire to go to such lengths as to destroy their own planet and ecosystem in war, and for what? Slavery? Religious freedom? Political ideals? I don’t expect the world to change overnight, but it won’t change at all if we don’t try. Does that answer your question?”

            “Yes it does,” Autumn concluded, “Thank you.”

            Kim returned to her chair and the circle continued with one more student before Ellery and Kira would have their turns. “Hi,” The next girl said very assertively, “My name is Jodie Sackman. I am an engineering major and math minor. I love numbers and statistics and I love incorporating them into games of skill and chance. When I turn twenty one, I’m planning on a long night out on the strip playing cards and slots. That concludes my introduction; ask away.”

            Vesper leaned forward in her chair, the light from the chandelier over the rug everyone was sitting on suddenly accented her face in contrast to the incredibly dark patch she was sitting on. “I presume your skills and interest with numbers has led you to many thought experiments and problems of probability, am I right?”

            “Of course.”

            “So here’s my question then. A question of statistics and morality,” Jodie’s face went from calm and collected to something more worrisome and conflicted, “If you were placed in a situation where harming someone you care deeply about was the only way to ensure your own survival... would you do it?”    

            “Well... I mean, there are certainly a number of factors that would have to be considered�"”

            “No.” Vesper cut her off, “There is nothing to consider, I gave you the scenario.”

            “But there are always other considerations to make about the situation�"”

            “Would you harm a friend to ensure your own survival? Yes or no.”

            “Yes!” Jodie affirmed. Judging by her face, the answer she gave appeared to be weighing heavily on her conscience already.

            “Thank you, Jodie. You may take a seat.”

            “That question was horrible,” Ellery murmured to Kira, “She looks like she wants to cry.”

            “Perhaps whatever you are discussing over there could be said out loud,” Vesper said to Ellery, “It is your turn to speak, after all.”

            “Sorry,” she said, standing in place, “My name is Ellery Van Handel, some people call me Elle; feel free to as well. I am undecided in my major right now but I’m thinking about history or psychology. I guess I don’t know what else to say so...”

            “Why do you want to join Zeta Pi Tau, Ellery?” Skye asked very cheerfully.

            “I don’t know. I guess because I’ve never been one for joining clubs or other extra-curricular activities so my friend, here, told me to rush with her.”

            “I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck in making it into Zeta Pi Tau.”

            Ellery sat down, which meant it was now Kira’s turn to give her introduction. She stood up and looked around the circle at the other girls who had already given their introductions, and at Isabelle, who gave a wide grin with her surprisingly sharp looking teeth. Kira could only wonder what kind of intimidating question the sister had in mind for her. “Hello everyone. My name is Kira del Faye. I am majoring in film and TV production. I enjoy long walks of the beach and the visual ecstasy of city lights at night. That’s about all I have to say. I’m sure you have a very insightful question waiting, Isabelle.”

            “That was a very insightful introduction on your end, Kira,” Isabelle said, “The wonders of Hollywood must be eager for their future filmmaker. And you make the beach and the city lights sound so romantic, so of course I have an insightful question for you...” Isabelle paused as if she was waiting for Kira to say something.

            “Well...?”

            “Can I have your number?” A few of the other girls silently gasped in shock while the rest didn’t seem at all phased by the question.

            “Excuse me?” Kira questioned, “I mean, I’m flattered but...”

            “It’s okay,” Isabelle said. Her smile did not diminish at all, “I get that reaction a lot. You took it well.”

            “Thanks I guess.” Kira took a seat next to Ellery and waited to find out what came next. Just as she had made it to the floor, Vesper stood up and took a step forward into the light.

            “Congratulations, pledges,” she announced. “You’ve survived the first task of the rush. We will continue with the next task tomorrow night, but for now, we have snacks and drinks in the dining room so feel free to hang out and get to know each other; you will be getting paired up for tomorrow’s task so... socialize!”

            Everybody stood up and began mingling and heading for the dining room where a punch bowl and reasonably fancy snacks and dishes were set out on a long dining table. Kira continued over to the table for food while Ellery approached Jodie for a small chat.

            “Hey, Jodie,” she said.

            “Hi, Ellery.”

            “That question Vesper asked you was awful. I’m sorry you had to answer that.”

            “It’s no big deal, Elle. It was just a mind game; I’m used to them and I don’t mind them, but I guess I was just feeling heat of being on the spot.”

            Kira had barely filled her glass with punch before it was nearly knocked out of her hand when she bumped into Isabelle behind her.

            “Oh. Sorry, Isabelle.”

            “No worries,” she replied. Kira proceeded to step away but Isabelle grabbed her arm, “You know, you’re really the cute one among all these newbies. You and I should hit it up sometime.”

            “I see,” Kira replied with a raised eyebrow, “I appreciate the offer, but incase I’m being too subtle: I don’t swing in that direction.”

            “Really? Have you ever tried it?”

            “Do I need to have tried it to understand my interests?”

            “No. But it might change your mind.”

            “I don’t think so,” Kira asserted, “try someone else.” She gave Isabelle a dismissive wave and headed to the corner and looking for Ellery.

            “Sorry about her,” Danielle said walking up to her, “She’s usually not that aggressive.”

            “It’s no big deal,” Kira said, “At least she goes after what she wants. Too many people I’ve known don’t do that.”

            “You seem very sure of yourself,” Danielle told her, “You’d fit in well here.”

            “Thanks. I would really love to stick around a little more, but I’ve been up since about six waiting for all this; I’m absolutely exhausted. I need to go home and go to bed.”

            “Amen to that,” Ellery said, approaching them. “I’m ready to turn in for the night too.”

            “Well, before you do that,” Danielle started, “I’m going to walk you over to Autumn so you can complete tonight’s task before you go.” She began walking toward where Autumn was standing near the door and Kira and Ellery followed close behind.

            “I thought Vesper said we finished already,” Ellery said.

            “Just one last thing...”

            When they got to Autumn, she was standing by an end table with a platter littered with syringes. “What the hell?” Kira said.

            “Vesper is a bio major and had a bit of an obsession with collecting blood samples from all the pledges,” Autumn explained, “I know it’s weird but it has been a sort of Zeta Pi Tau tradition since she’s been here.”

            “I see,” Kira said, “Anything for science, I guess.”

            “You’re seriously going through with that?” Ellery asked.

            “There’s nothing wrong with it,” Kira explained while Autumn inserted the needle in her arm, “Weird maybe, but it’s not like she’s sucking it out of you like a vampire.”

            “Alright, fine,” Ellery said, rolling up her sleeve, “Tomorrow’s task isn’t this weird is it?”

            “Unfortunately, it’s against the rules to reveal the nature of the next task,” Autumn said, “But I can tell you that it will be a lot more fun and intense than tonight.”

            “If you say so,” Kira shrugged, “I don’t think it can get weirder than this was. Have a good night, Autumn.”

            “Thanks. You too.” She finished taking the last of Ellery’s blood sample and gave her a cartoon themed bandage to put on the small wound. Kira opened the door for her and the two stepped out of the house to head back to their dorm.

            “You’re not actually thinking about coming back tomorrow, are you?” Ellery asked.

            “Of course. What’s the worst that could happen? You better be coming too.”

            “I guess I will if you are.”

            “Good. It would probably be best if we got a good night sleep then.”

            “I hear ya.”