"What did she say to you?" Hailey asked once Marla left.

"You don't want to know," Dan said. He still looked shaken by her words.

"Please, you know it takes a lot to faze me."

Dan looked around to ensure no one was within earshot—not that it mattered. He leaned down and whispered in Hailey's ear, but she didn't flinch or react with disgust. Hailey looked contemplative and amused instead.

"Keisha was right about her," Hailey said with a chuckle. Dan didn't understand what she meant, but he was too afraid to ask for more details.

"That didn't bother you?"

"She said that because she knew you would tell me. Marla is trying to get into my head. It's mind games. She also wanted to see how you would react. I'm surprised you said no."

"Hailey!"

"What? Most guys would jump at an opportunity like that."

"Yeah, but not with Marla!"

"Wait. With who, then?" Hailey asked, placing her hands on her hips and staring at him. Her look dared him to answer the question, but Dan faltered.

"Um, I think I hear my pledge dad calling. I'll talk to you later," Dan said and hurried away.

***

The inter-club activities finished, which meant the fun came to an end. It was time to get back to business. Since it was after midnight, they were allowed to move off-campus. They reapplied the blindfolds and loaded the pledges into their cars. Claudia and Tamara rode in the back of Shawna's vehicle while Shawna and Felicia sat in the front.

"Okay, I have a few rules. You will respect Chelsea at all times," Shawna said.

"Who's Chelsea?" Claudia asked.

"This car is Chelsea. She's my baby, so don't disrespect her! No spilling, vomiting, or messes of any kind. If you scratch her, I'll scratch you! Got it?"

"Yes, Mistress Shawna!" Tamara and Claudia said.

Once they understood the ground rules, Shawna started the car and revved it a few times. Then, they headed toward the next destination. It was a random back road named Sampson Street. Hailey chose it. Shawna had no idea why. The drive took little time, but that didn't stop Shawna from playing some music during the trip.

"You guys like power metal?" Shawna asked.

"I've never heard of it," Tamara said.

"Check this out," Shawna said and cranked up the volume. She played something that sounded like it belonged on the soundtrack for a cheesy, low-budget sword and sorcery movie from the 80s. Claudia groaned softly and kept her comments to herself, but Tamara bobbed her head and smiled.

"I kinda like this," Tamara said.

Claudia only had to endure the music for a few minutes before they reached the rendezvous point. Shawna got there first. She waited for the rest of them before unloading the pledges. It didn't take long. The other cars followed close behind her. When everybody arrived, Hailey had the pledges stand at the stop line on the corner of Sampson Street and Donovan Court. They removed their blindfolds to reveal a long stretch of road. On one side was a vacant lot. The other direction held residential streets. They were dark and quiet at this time of night. With the pledges in place, Hailey stood before them and spoke.

"This is Sampson Street. They named it after Kyle Sampson. He was an Olympic gold medalist in track and field who attended Harrison University. Tonight, we will honor him with an activity I call the Sampson Run. The next stop sign is your finish line. Your goal is to cross it," Hailey said, gesturing behind her.

"Oh, I've got this. I'm gonna smoke you guys," Claudia said as she started to stretch and warm up.

Tamara looked worried, but everyone else seemed fine with the task. They followed Claudia's lead and prepared for the race. Hailey gave them a moment.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!" Hailey said after the warm-up.

The girls ran toward their goal. Claudia was right. She pulled ahead of the pack, but Kennedy was just a little behind her. Chloe and Hana followed within feet of her. And Tamara was in the back because she tripped. Thankfully, she regained her balance and didn't fall. Claudia threw her arms in the air in victory as she crossed the line first.

"Not bad, Kennedy. You almost got me," Claudia said and high-fived Kennedy.

"Thanks," Kennedy said, trying to catch her breath. She placed her hands on top of her head. "I gotta cut down on the cigarettes."

"Come back! Do it again!" Shawna said with her hands on her hips. "Get it right this time!"

"What did we do wrong?" Claudia asked.

"If I told you that, you wouldn't learn anything!"

"What? Did the wrong person win?" Claudia asked the other pledges quietly. They shrugged and walked back to the line. The girls looked toward Barb for help.

"I can't give you the answers. You have to figure this out on your own. Think about what we've taught you," Barb said.

This time, Claudia held back, and Chloe won. Kennedy, still drained from the first race, came in third.

"No! Try again!" Shawna yelled and threw her hands in the air.

"I don't get it!" Claudia said.

"Yeah, that's the problem!"

"Girls! Come here!" Kennedy said breathlessly. She brought the pledges into a huddle and whispered. "We're supposed to do everything together. Remember?"

"How do we run a race together?" Hana asked.

"It isn't a race. We're not supposed to try and beat each other. Everyone stand side-by-side and link arms."

"We can't run like that," Chloe said.

"The goal is to cross the finish line. We don't have to run," Kennedy said, offering her arm. The girls obeyed, standing in line in a long chain. Hailey told them to go, and they walked together to the next stop sign.

"Finally!" Shawna said.

"Well done. Put your blindfolds back on and get in the cars," Hailey said. She walked with Shawna as the pledges obeyed, but they stayed a few steps behind to talk.

"Is all that stuff about Kyle Sampson true?" Shawna asked.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"Nah. I just made it up. For all I know, Sampson was the name of someone's dog," Hailey said with a smirk. This made Shawna laugh.

***

The Harrison Repertory Theatre building was their next stop. Keisha already established a connection with them for their haunted house. They let them use the facilities for their pledging activities. The playhouse was large and round with a high conical roof. There was a smaller building attached to the side, which housed the offices. This is where they set up the rooms for the next phase of Bid Night. They lined the pledges up against the outside wall and had them lean against it. The girls had to stay in this position and practice reciting everything they learned. They worked on their limericks. Plus, Barb quizzed them on various facts about each sister they learned throughout the night. Occasionally, Shawna had them exercise to stay awake.

"You look sleepy! Let's do some jumping jacks!" Shawna said. She had to stifle a laugh as she watched them clumsily perform them. "Tamara, you look like you're ready to take flight."

Next, they brought the group inside. They visited five rooms, one for each officer. There, they learned about the officers' roles and details about the club. Keisha was first. This is where the girls first heard about the haunted house, which excited them. But that sentiment changed once they heard about their duties.

"You all have to help build and run the haunted house. It's mandatory," Keisha said.

"Play practice might make that hard for me," Tamara said.

"We understand, but you will work whenever you can," Keisha replied. "Also, we want your ideas for the different rooms. This will be your project, so put your personality into it. We want to see what you've got."

"Ooh, I can do this!" Hana said excitedly. "Interior design is my major!"

"Great! You're going to help design every room," Keisha replied.

"Oh, no. What have I done?" Hana asked herself.

"Tamara, I also expect you to excel at this. After all, we're working with a theatre group. This should be your forte."

"Yes, Sister Keisha," Tamara said, but she had a look of fright on her face.

Afterward, they moved to Felicia's room. Since the club had little history, she taught them about the iconography of its crest.

"Can anyone tell me what the blue represents?" Felicia asked. This resulted in blank stares and confused silence. "Does anyone want to guess?"

"Water?" Hana shrugged.

"Why would it be water?" Chloe asked.

"I couldn't think of anything else."

"No, It doesn't mean that. The blue stands for loyalty, gold is courage, and white is integrity," Felicia said. "Now, what about the swan?"

"Beauty?" Kennedy asked.

"Yes, but it's more about inner beauty than outward appearances."

"What would it have meant if Sister Barb made it a cow like she wanted?" Hana asked with a laugh.

"That's a good question," Felicia said.

With that in mind, they headed to Shawna's room. She questioned each pledge about what they wanted out of the club experience. This caught some of them off guard.

"I thought it would be nice to expand my friend circle," Hana said. "I don't have a lot of friends other than Sister Barb."

"This was something I always wanted to try. Animal House is one of my favorite movies, so it looked fun," Kennedy said.

"What's Animal House?" Hana asked.

"I'll show it to you sometime," Kennedy replied.

Claudia answered next. She said, "I like to push myself to try new things. Plus, I enjoy a good challenge." This pleased Shawna. Claudia could tell from her expression that Shawna intended to grant her wish, but she wasn't sure that was good.

"What about you, Meryl Streep?" Shawna asked as she turned toward Tamara. Tamara's face brightened. She took this as a compliment.

"I'm with Claudia. A nice challenge sounded good to me. I needed more excitement in my life. Acting is great, but it can be a little repetitive."

"Okay, what's your story, Sister Sister?" Shawna asked when she reached Chloe.

"I wanted somewhere to belong. Marla wanted me to join Phi-O, but I didn't fit in."

"Are you sure you aren't doing this just to get back at her?"

"It's not like that. I'm not doing this out of spite, but that's how Marla takes it."

"Make sure you don't bring a bunch of drama down on us, okay?" Shawna said.

"Yes, Mistress Shawna."

This worried them, but their next room eased those fears. Barb kept things casual. She also asked the pledges personal questions to get to know them better rather than grill them about their intentions.

"What are your goals or dreams?" Barb asked.

"I want to be a successful Broadway star someday," Tamara said. "Stage acting is more my thing than screen acting."

"My major is physical therapy. I want to open a practice eventually," Claudia said.

"I'm doing business administration. My bastard of an ex-husband laughed when I said I was returning to school. I'm gonna throw it in his face when I'm making more than he does," Kennedy said with a grin.

"You'll get along great with Keisha. She has the same major," Barb said. "Hana, you're next."

"Interior design is my thing. I love designing stuff," Hana replied.

"What about your other dream?" Barb asked. This erased the smile from Hana's face.

"Oh, that's nothing," Hana said, shaking her head.

"Don't be silly. It's a nice idea. Tell them."

"I'd like to try modeling, like my sister."

"You should," Tamara said.

"I don't know. It's not that big of a deal," Hana said and shrugged.

Barb sensed Hana didn't want to continue discussing it. She shifted her focus. "Chloe, what about you?"

"I'm going for a psychology degree," Chloe replied.

"Hey, maybe you can figure out what's wrong with your sister," Claudia said. This made Chloe wince. She turned her head so Claudia couldn't see her face. "Oh, that is what you're trying to do. Isn't it?" Claudia added when she saw the reaction. Tamara nudged Claudia with her elbow and gave her a look. Claudia sighed before saying, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Chloe said, but she continued staring at the opposite wall.

Claudia felt terrible about it, but she didn't get the chance to say anything. They moved to the final room and met Hailey.

"When I created KMA, I wanted us to have a unique identity. I took pledging ideas from guys' and girls' clubs and created a mix of the two. But forging a bond was always my focus. I wanted every aspect of pledging to have a purpose. We will test you over the next six weeks to see how you progress," Hailey said.

"Six weeks?" Hana asked.

"Yes. Pledging will last six weeks. Tonight is only the beginning. Remember this. Sisters Forever isn't just a cheesy catchphrase. I hope you will build friendships that will last a lifetime, but you have to work together. Don't let me down."

"Yes, Sister Hailey."

***

As the night ended, Barb allowed the pledges to review everything they learned. They needed this refresher because they were about to be tested individually. After half an hour, Barb blindfolded them and led them one by one into a room. The sisters waited for them there. They did this alphabetically. Chloe went first. She entered the room, and Barb brought her to a stool.

"Here, step up onto this," Barb said, placing one of Chloe's feet onto it. She held onto her hand so she wouldn't fall until Chloe found her balance. "Okay, now hold your hands out to your sides with your palms up," Barb continued. When she did this, Barb and Hailey placed books on her hands.

"Don't let them fall," Hailey said and removed the blindfold. A light switched on, shining directly into Chloe's eyes. The sisters sat behind it. Chloe saw them as shadows.

"Chloe, do you know who this is?" Felicia asked.

"Um, Sister Felicia?" Chloe asked as she steadied herself to keep the books from falling. It made it hard to concentrate, but she did her best.

"That's not how you greet her!" Shawna said.

"Good evening, Sister Felicia!"

"It's morning, but that's fine. Can you tell me the club colors and what they mean?" Felicia asked.

"Blue, gold, and white. It means—loyalty, courage, and purity?" Chloe said, but it turned into a question by the end.

"Close, but the white means integrity."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just answer. Now, do you know who this is?"

"Good morning, Sister Keisha."

"Very good. Now, when will the haunted house be open?"

"Every weekend in October."

"And when do you start work on it?"

"Next Friday."

"Chloe! Greet me and tell me the limerick about the man from Nantucket."

"Good morning, Sister—I mean Mistress Shawna," Chloe said. She started to wobble. One of the books fell, and Chloe moved like she would pick it up.

"Leave it! Finish my request."

Chloe attempted the limerick, but she forgot the words and stammered.

"That's disappointing. Enough! Next pledge!" Shawna said.

Barb helped Chloe step down and took the books before blindfolding her again. The other girls fared about the same. Some didn't drop a single book, while others dropped them all. This continued until they reached Tamara. She lost two books before they asked the first question. Shawna sensed she would only last for a while.

"Tamara! Tell them about the man from Gent," Shawna said with a wide grin.

Tamara recited the limerick without an issue and smiled proudly when finished, but her performance left the sisters in silence. After a moment, Hailey spoke.

"I'm sorry. Did you say dingle?"

"Yes, Sister Hailey."

"What's a dingle?"

"You know. His—dangler."

Shawna bit her lip, but her resolve broke, and she burst into laughter. Soon, the entire room joined in. They didn't care that Tamara laughed with them.

"You are one strange girl," Keisha said, which made the laughter louder.

***

Once everyone finished their test, the sisters joined the pledges outside. Barb could see the sun peeking over the horizon. She knew it was time to wrap things up. Everyone looked as exhausted as she felt.

"Congratulations, you've reached the end of Bid Night. You can relax for now," Barb said. She saw the girls let out a sigh of relief. Their shoulders slumped as they released their tensions. "Now, let's go get some breakfast."

"Oh, good. I could eat an entire buffet right now," Hana said.

"Me too! So, I guess you're paying then," Shawna said, patting Hana on the head.

"Wait, what!?"