Slave Girls.

part 4.

After class the next day, Jenny and April returned to their room to get ready. The girls chattered excitedly as they fixed their hair and donned their dresses, double- and triple-checking themselves in the mirror after every step. April, who was good with makeup, helped Jenny, who wasn't. When they were done, Jenny looked her roommate up and down and felt sick with envy. April looked so stylish, so elegant; the little black dress really flattered her slim figure.

"You look amazing," said Jenny quietly.

"So do you," answered April.

"No, I don't."

"Jenny, please. Trust me, you look fucking hot." She reached down and pinched Jenny on the ass. "Hot!"

Jenny blushed bright red and turned away shyly. "Thanks," she murmured.

"We should get going," said April. "Don't want to be late."

The girls followed their map to the north side of campus, walking about half a mile before turning left onto a path through a grove of maple trees. After a few hundred yards they came to a tall iron gate that stood open; to its left were the Greek letters for Alpha Beta Delta.

"Guess this is the place," said April.

Stepping through the gate they got their first glimpse of ABD House, which to Jenny looked more like a small palace than a house. It was a huge structure, four stories, at least 75 years old and covered with ivy. The girls were struck dumb with amazement at the sight of it, though April gave a low whistle to express her awe. Climbing the front steps to the expansive patio, they saw through the open door an enormous room filled with beautiful women. They stepped inside and Jenny felt her jaw go slack. The elaborately decorated room was like something out of a 19th century romance, with a huge fireplace crackling at the far end. And it was filled with a least a hundred gorgeous females of every color, shape, and size.

April saw a girl she knew from one of her classes and went to chat with her. Jenny stood there feeling uglier by the second and was soon overcome with the urge to flee. She turned toward the door and would have made a run for it if she hadn't just then seen Kristin in a breathtaking purple dress. Seeing Jenny, the tall blonde broke into a wide smile and walked over. She took both of Jenny hands in hers and said, "Welcome, Jenny. I'm so glad you came."

Looking into Kristin's warm blue eyes, Jenny immediately felt relaxed and at home. "Is your roommate here?" Jenny nodded in April's direction. "Good. Well, here's how it works. On the table over there is a signup sheet. Put your name down, and when it's your turn you'll be called into the sitting room over there." She pointed to the right. "You'll tell us a little about yourself, we'll ask you a few questions, and that's about it. In the meantime, just go ahead and mingle. There are snacks and drinks on the table by the fireplace, so help yourself. I've gotta go get ready, but I'll see you later, OK?"

Jenny nodded, and as Kristin walked away she found her eyes irresistibly drawn to the rear end swaying provocatively in the tight purple fabric. When Kristin was out of sight she found April and they added their names to the signup sheet, then walked over to the banquet table to drink punch and wait for their names to be called. April made conversation with a few of the girls who were milling about, and Jenny tried to participate, but she had a hard time staying focused. Her heart was pounding in anticipation of hearing her name called; she was going to be called into that room and judged, and she couldn't see how she was possibly going to measure up. She couldn't stop marveling at the beauty that surrounded her on every side. Blondes, brunettes, redheads; whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Arabs - it was a veritable gallery of feminine perfection.

Classical music was playing through unseen speakers, and periodically the music would pause and a name would be called. When Jenny heard her own name she nearly fainted; she didn't think her legs would carry her where she was supposed to go. But then she saw Kristin standing in the doorway, still with that radiant smile, and she managed to put one foot in front of the other, turning briefly to acknowledge April's "Good luck."

At the door, Kristin took Jenny's hand and ushered her into a room where about a dozen girls - sorority members, Jenny assumed - sat around on couches and chairs. "Everybody, this is Jenny Baker," said Kristin, and there was a chorus of "Hello"s and "Hi, Jenny"s from the sisters. "Jenny, this is our membership committee."

Kristin led Jenny to a chair on the other side of the room, set apart from and facing the others, then returned to her own seat. "So Jenny, tell us a little bit about yourself."

Jenny swallowed nervously. "Well, I was born in Hawaii and went to high school in Houston. My mom's Japanese and my dad's in the Marines. And I'm really nervous cause you guys are all so gorgeous."

There was a light ripple of laughter through the crowd. "How do you like Bowmore so far?" asked Kristin.

"I love it," answered Jenny. "The campus is beautiful and everybody I've met has been really nice to me." She smiled at Kristin. "And my classes have been really interesting so far."

"What are you planning on studying?" asked one of other girls from the committee, a pale-skinned redhead.

"I'm not sure," said Jenny. "My dad wants me to study business administration and my mom thinks I should major in literature or art history. I guess I have time to take some different classes and figure it out."

"Now a personal question," said Kristin. "What's your idea of a good time?"

"Hmm, that's a tough one." Jenny's life hadn't been exactly filled with good times. "I don't know...I guess a night at the movies with friends." She could count on one hand the number of times she had actually done that, but it had always been fun.

The next question came from a girl toward the back with olive skin and short black hair. "Would you describe yourself as being open to new things?"

"Sure," said Jenny. That wasn't exactly true, but she wanted to be that type of person, and anyway she was sure that was what they wanted to hear. "I love to learn and experience new things."

"Great," said Kristin. "Thanks, Jenny. We have a lot of candidates to see, so that's all for now. We just need your picture and you can go." A blonde who could have been Kristin's sister, except shorter and with slightly darker hair, stepped forward with a camera and asked Jenny to stand up. She did so and smiled gamely for the lens, flinching slightly when the flash went off. After the girl with the camera took down Jenny's address for the sorority's records, Jenny headed for the door, taking a last look at Kristin, who winked and nodded conspiratorially.

April was coming in as she went out. The roommates locked eyes and Jenny whispered "Good luck" as they passed. Once the door was closed, Jenny headed straight for the big plate of cookies on the table and ate nervously until April emerged about five minutes later. They compared notes and decided they had been asked pretty much the same questions.

"It was kinda weird," said Jenny. "I mean how much can they learn about us from that?"

"I don't know," answered April. "But look at how many girls are here. No way they could spend a long time on every one of us." She shrugged her shoulders. "We'll see, I guess."

They were just about to leave when an authoritative voice called out "Ladies, your attention, please." The clamor of voices died down to a murmur, then ceased altogether. The crowd turned to face the voice's owner, which was a tall, dark-haired woman in a gray pinstriped business suit. "My name is Alexis White, and I'm the house manager here at Alpha Beta Delta. I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight."

Jenny craned her head to get a look at this new person. Alexis White was quite striking in a way, with chiseled features and alabaster skin, although she was dressed conservatively and her hair was pulled back in a severe bun. She looked to be in her early thirties and projected an air of serene self- confidence. "As you can see, ABD is one of the more popular organizations on campus. However, we only accept ten incoming freshmen per year. Those of you who are chosen will be informed in writing by 10 A.M. on Monday. To the rest of you, I can only say that unfortunately we have to turn away many qualified candidates, and I wish you the best of luck in your time here at Bowmore." She nodded curtly, turned on her heel, and strode purposefully out of the room.

In the next few minutes the room started to empty out, except for a handful of girls whose names hadn't been called yet. Slipping one last chocolate chip cookie into her pocket, April took Jenny by the arm and led her through the front door. They stood on the front porch for a minute breathing the crisp autumn air and looking at the yellow crescent moon hanging in the sky. But they weren't dressed for the weather and soon began making their way home, walking briskly and huddled close for warmth.