"Worthy Neophyte Mistress," came a reply from outside the room, "The testing hall is prepared. Once the neophytes are prepared, you may lead them in."
Kelli and the other girl handed each neophyte a blindfold, and told them to put them on. The girls did so, and then one by one the girls were lined up and were made to hold hands of the person in front and behind them.
Once all the girls were in a line, Kelli continued the ceremony "Do not delay or falter. If any loses their way, they will be dismissed as will those behind them. We are walking now."
Kelli led the girls off at a slow pace. She led them around the house into and out of many different rooms. The neophytes were worried about tripping and falling. But they managed to keep up. The girls were led into a large room with several people in it. Even with the blindfolds, the girls could tell the room was extremely well lit. The girls were led up three steps onto a platform. They were told to let go of each other's hands which they did reluctantly. Each girl was positioned in a line facing the lights.
A new voice rose above the crowd which quieted down as soon as she started to speak, "Neophytes you may remove your blindfolds." The blindfolds were removed and they were blinded by the lights in the room. It was a small auditorium and there were seats for the audience, but the lights were behind the audience shining in the neophytes' eyes. So they had no idea how many eyes were on them. The voice continued "behind you are seven stations. Each one has a bean bag chair, and a small box behind the chair. When I call out your name, and number take your seat. Neophyte Mary one, Neophyte Mera two, Neophyte Sue-Ellen three, Neophyte Eustace Four, Neophyte Jessie five, Neophyte Beatrice six, and Neophyte April seven."
The girls settled into their seats, and the voice continued "Worthy Game Master, please instruct the Neophytes in the proceedings."
"I shall do so, Worthy Head Mistress." came yet another voice. "Neophytes, you are going to play a game called DareRing. This game is similar to truth or dare. Instead of making up your own questions and dares, each player, in turn will select a random card and do as instructed. There are seven rounds, and each round gets more challenging. There will be a ten minute break between rounds.
Once a round starts, you must play it to completion. If any neophyte decides they do not want to continue to the next round, she must tell Rebekah," a tall shapely girl in a brown miniskirt and bra walks onto the stage, "She will get you your clothes, and lead you out of the house. Rebekah will also keep your drinks full and provide any and all accouterments as needed."
The girls looked at each other in uncertainty. "If anyone wants to leave, stand up now. This is your last chance prior to starting the game. One last item. There are no winners or losers in this game. All that matters is your attitude, and completing all seven rounds. Player one starts the game and you may ask Rebekah for a beverage."
Each girl asked for some kind of alcohol to bolster their courage. Once the girls had their drinks, Rebekah gave Mary a white tureen with the male and female symbols on it repeated over and over interlocked in all kinds of ways. With a flourish Rebekah removed the lid of the tureen and said "Let the game begin!"
There were cheers and catcalls from the audience, and the twins looked out at the audience knowing that not all the voices were female. They knew that somewhere in the audience were their parents, Aunt Tiffi, Aunt Vee, Aunt May, and Aunt Christina. The six of them had ever missed an initiation.
****THE END****
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