I know its been an awfully long time coming for Part 3 and I do sincerely apologize. Big girl jobs and life changes have kept me busy and I'm finally returning to write. This installment is a bit exposition heavy, but I think its necessary to further the story of our Sisters and I am truly excited to continue writing this tale. I promise I won't make you wait nearly as long for Part 4.
In other news, I'm beginning to take commissions for personalized short stories. If you enjoy my work, want to support me, or just want a sordid tale of yourself with one of the Sisters from my work, message me, and we can hammer it out!
Love,
Delta
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It wasn't a long walk from her bedroom to Maggie's room. The Delta Kappa Sigma Sorority house wasn't even that big in comparison to the other Greek houses around campus. It was, however, very old. She was told during new pledge orientation that the house dated back to the American Colonial era. The Sisters were diligent about maintaining it though. Every semester began with a new restoration project, fresh coats of paint were applied regularly, and it was meticulously cleaned by the newer Sisters on a weekly basis. Despite all of that, the creaks and moans of old floorboards were still there. The foundation had settled in places and the halls weren't always perfectly level. The house had its own little quirks. A trait that was shared by the young women who lived there.
However, those quirks were never as apparent as they had been in the last hour. What was going on in this house? Emma remembered waking up that morning, completely naked, in bed with her close friend, and in-house Big Sister. For the life of her, she couldn't remember crawling into Maggie's bed, but when she opened her eyes, that's where she was. That was only the beginning of course... she had only just gotten her clothes back on after a passionate, and unexpected rendezvous with her roommate Lauren. If she was honest with herself, she didn't even remember making the decision to crawl into bed with Lauren either, but she knew she didn't regret that for a moment.
Now she was walking through the halls of Delta Kappa Sigma with her redheaded roommate, hoping to get some answers. While Emma didn't entirely mind the new changes, something was going on here, but Emma trusted that Maggie would be honest and sort things out. She always had in the past, and Emma trusted her completely. Not only was Maggie her Big Sister (by virtue of Sorority hierarchy, rather than actual familial ties) but she was also her best friend. Maggie would make sense of things.
Emma rounded the corner to Maggie's hallway but was suddenly stopped as Lauren grabbed her hand. Emma turned sharply and met Lauren's gaze. The cocky, flirtatious aura that graced Lauren so recently was gone. She looked nervously up at Emma.
"Before we go airing our dirty laundry out to your Big, I wanted you to know, it was real for me." Lauren said softly, then her eyes darted towards the floor. "It was fun, but I do genuinely care about you too."
Emma smiled broadly at Lauren, then gently lifted Lauren's chin and kissed her. "I know." Emma replied after ending the kiss. The pair stood there, eyes locked, smiling for a long moment before a voice shook them from their trance.
"Ahem..." The voice called softly, making a show of clearing their throat, "If you two are done, can I have my Little now?"
Emma whirled around, blushing a shade of red that would put an apple orchard to shame. Maggie was leaning out from the doorway to her bedroom, wearing an oversized tee shirt bearing the Sorority's letters, her hair up in a messy bun, and a smile painted across her face that made Emma's heart skip a beat. She was beautiful.
"Maggie," Emma stammered "we were just coming to see you"
"Well, I can't say I blame you for getting... sidetracked" Maggie replied, her eyes scanning Lauren from head to toe, that smile growing ever wider. Emma and Lauren looked at each other, trying to get their stories straight, but Maggie cut them off. "Don't keep me waiting any longer." Maggie beckoned them with one hand then disappeared back into her room.
The girls took a few seconds to catch their breath and let their hearts settle, then followed Maggie inside. The room looked much as it had when Emma snuck out earlier this morning, except that where once Maggie had been asleep, she was now awake and radiant in the early morning sun. One foot tucked beneath her, she let the other dangle down to the floor. The eldest Sister smiled again and gently pat her hand on the bed beside her.
"Sit down, we need to talk." Maggie said, still smiling, but suddenly less playful than before. "Lauren, would you mind closing the door behind you."
Lauren wordlessly obeyed and the two new initiates approached the bed. Emma sat cross legged, facing her Big Sister and Lauren set on the edge mirroring Maggie.
"So..." Maggie began, the air of confidence she had earlier diminishing slightly. "I'm sure you two have lots of questions. Let me tell you a story, and I promise, I'll do my best to answer any questions you still have afterwards."
Maggie saw how bemused the two looked, but they did not object, and so Maggie began her story.
"This Earth is full of primal power that our ancestors used thousands of years ago to thrive in a harsh environment. Many cultures revolved around leaders who were able to utilize these forces to guide their people. Witch doctors, shamans, medicine men, oracles. History is full of these terms, but we explain it away with the blinding light of science. Indeed, as civilizations grew and thrived, these forces were further enslaved and buried, until only the very rich and powerful even knew they existed. This continued for centuries as mankind build cities and rewrote history." Maggie paused, searching Emma's eyes for some reaction. She knew how outlandish this story must have seemed, but Emma looked on, enraptured. Lauren looked more skeptical, but did not voice her thoughts, so Maggie continued.
"When Europeans first came to the New World, they found a land where those primal forces of antiquity thrived, and the people lived in peace with it. At first the settlers ignored their senses and relied on science and religion to explain it away. Some, however, embraced their birthright and sought to learn more. These brave people were persecuted and labelled witches and were persecuted."
Despite all logic, Emma found herself wanting to believe what Maggie was saying.
"Are you telling me the Witch Trials were real?" Lauren blurted out, mouth agape.
Maggie gave a sad smile. "What you've been taught about them was a half-truth at best. Witches, as they became known, did live in early America, and they were hunted for their practices. But it was not out of some Puritanical fear of the devil. No, the aristocrats of the Old World were jealous and wanted to control the primal powers here too, and they were willing to hunt down those who would take what they viewed as theirs. For the most part, they succeeded. Only a lucky few were able to escape or hide, some found places of power in the New World that offered to aid them. This is one of those places." Maggie let that last statement sink in for a time. Silence filled the room as surely as the morning sun. Long minutes passed, but Maggie did not continue the story.
Finally, Emma asked "this house?" Maggie smiled.
"Yes Emmy. The very ground this house was built on is infused with primal power. Call it magic if you like, but there is a force deep below the foundations. Some of those who sought refuge from persecution made a pact with the Earth here. It gave them powers to not only hide, but to prosper. So, the very earliest members of our proud Sisterhood built this house, and the Gift that was granted to them was passed to you last night."
