Veronica arrived early at the Theta Beta House as was her usual, at least in comparison to her pledge class given that she was the only one who drove to the house every time she was told to come over. She had managed to make it through the first week wearing the shirt without the aid of her trusty friend Sparky. Of course when Logan had decked a guy at lunch Tuesday, the word had quickly spread that the short blonde Theta pledge had a crazy as hell boyfriend, it was best to just stay away. Most of her pledge class had sighed jealously because much to Wallace's delight most of them were single, and the other ones claimed that their boyfriends were too 'big of a loser' to ever defend them. She offered to let them rotate the use of her taser, but they had laughed and turned it down then insisted on hearing the stories of when she had used it to 'correct a problem'. That week had felt like a blast from the past from when she had hung out with the pep squad all those many years ago. She kept expecting herself to quit at any given moment, but she found that she liked the other girls, giddy partygoers that they were. Some of them had already started to ask her to hang out outside of their class meetings. She felt somewhat normal for the first time in a long time.
Surprisingly this pledging stuff wasn't cutting into her sleuthing, if anything it was making it easier. All she had to do was ask one of the sisters how their night had been and they would talk about what had happened at which party. They were also a very diverse group who really knew what was happening on campus. It was like being in a database, you just needed to know the access pathway. Funny how she didn't have to trick the information out of these girls, they gave it more freely than Mac did, she was after all their 'sister'. Still the looks from Parker was making visiting Mac's dorm like entering the a hostile war zone. Veronica didn't know how to deal with those issues, especially when she had enough on her plate with her classes, job, boyfriend, and pledging. She didn't have time to show Mac's roommate that she hadn't betrayed her, especially when it came to pledging Theta Beta, she'd wait till she felt an overwhelming sense of frustration before she patched that ground up. For now she would meet Mac outside of the room, and focus on making sure that Mac knew that she was not going to ditch her for the Greeks.
Walking into the house was now a comfortable thing for Veronica, and she went into the living room before flopping down on a couch next to some current members. She noticed that these were different sisters than the ones she had met before, she had only briefly seen these girls at events but they still knew her name. She was surprised because these girls didn't seem that into the whole pledge process, but they still smiled when she came into the room. Veronica imagined herself in future years, seeing future sisters come in and smiling because she would know the entire process and all the twisted activities that would fluster the girls but she would laugh with them later. Logan decking that obnoxious jerk was still a buzz around the house, with much laughter as a few of the girls who had seen the event told the story from their perspectives. There was also a buzz of tension among the girls who talked about the worries that they had when it came to partying with the rapist still on the loose and the anti greek initiative being pushed around campus. Veronica understood their tensions herself more than the other girls would ever realize, but she didn't know quite what to say to calm their worries. Most of them didn't know that she did some minor detective work, and had already solved two major cases. It was easier to be normal without them knowing every aspect of her life, she'd feel a bit more normal that way.
Soon the other girls in her pledge class show up and they are all sitting around laughing and talking animatedly about the classes and the boys on campus. The common use of the word Neanderthal was often said among the group as they lounged waiting for Debra. Veronica was surprised at how funny she found the other girls as they made the Homer Simpson noises and then turned around and sighed because they liked the guys who they joked about. Of course those sighs caused more teasing to come from the rest of the members. The older sisters start filing in laughing along with the girls, but the looks that they exchanged between themselves alerted Veronica that they were to something. Of course the flight feeling started to rise in her again, but she reminded herself that nothing bad had happened so far and that she was just falling back on old habits, she enjoyed her time with these ladies and was getting used to the idea of her being one of them. Though a part of her was still a bit weary as Debra finally entered the room, sometimes Debra was seen as the tough one of the sisters, even though she was nice, she always seemed to be on task, and pushing them to get through the process.
"Pledges please present your pledge books." She said as all of them pulled their books out of their various bags. She had expected to find deep dark secrets hidden in the books but so far it was just facts about Zeta Theta Beta history, their chapter, and the current sisters. It was nothing that made her feel like she was peeking into the deep recesses of the demented sorority life mind. All of her skeptical imagination was just fantasy, and she wondered if she would get bored, since it seemed to be a nonstop sleepover.
"Tonight we will test your mental capabilities, we will give you a set of clues and in the next two hours you must get to a certain location where a special surprise is waiting for you. The rules are that only one of you are allowed to have a cell phone and you will receive an embarrassing punishment if you do not complete your task. Marjorie, bring out the bells." Debra said as she walked out of chapter room holding an armful of necklaces that were covered with bells, and Veronica just knew that at one point Marjorie had worn some bells. But Veronica was not worried, instead she looked around at the sisters to see if they would give her any clues to this mysterious location. As their anchor sisters stood and led them outside Veronica saw the anxious look on Kim's face, trying to ease her worry Veronica made a shoot me gesture then both girls sniffled their laughter. So far Veronica had connected to Kim the most out of her pledge class, given that the other girl had a sarcasm streak as well. She was glad that someone spoke her second natural language.
"Okay ladies, here's your instructions, good luck." Debra said and it seemed that all of the house seemed to rush pass them jumping in to various cars as the house stood now dark behind them. The bewildered looks on the faces of the other girls was not mirrored in Veronica's face. Grateful that they had a cellphone she asked to see it. Something about the sisters had tipped her off to a clue to the secret location.
"What? We need to figured out these clues." Said Jessica, one of the more vocal, yet clueless girls of the group, most of them were also showing skepticism both at the instructions and towards Veronica. Of course none of them came up with another idea so they handed the phone to Veronica. They didn't know what she was up to but she had a feeling that a quick internet search would take them to where they needed to go.
Fifteen minutes later they stood in the Biology Horticulture lab and everyone was amazed that this lab was on the campus of Hearst. They saw a light through a door and she was sure that they would find out what they wanted behind that door but all of them felt that it was a little creepy that this was the only light on in the entire building. Of course usually for Veronica she was the only person making these kind of ventures so it was different to have so many others with them. Of course part of her patted Sparky resting snuggly in her jacket pocket.
"I'm not sure about this, what if we get in trouble for being here?" Ashley, one of the more timid girls said as they gotten closer to the door. She seemed to be anxious yet Veronica felt a boldness surge inside of her as she got ready to move through the group to lead them in the room.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, if anyone asks we're a 'study group'." Kim said with a slight sly smile on her face. That made Veronica smile as she watched the other girl who was just as short and petite as her march up to the door and turn the knob.
They were suddenly blinded by cheers and silly string as they all were rushed and pushed into the room. They were greeted by the sisters who were wearing shocked faces. They obviously hadn't expected to see them so soon.
"Well done ladies, though I have to ask how did you find us so soon. Did you grow through the clues that fast."
"Well, yeah." Said Jessica, who must have wanted not to tell the sisters how they had bygone the clue system.
"Actually it was Veronica's ingenuity. She made a phone call and then told us to come here. So we said 'what the hell' and came here figuring we'd only lose a few minutes.' This time it was Olivia, another girl Veronica already liked, who spoke up.
Debra walked over to Veronica with a smile on her face, Veronica had been worried for a minute when the group started to part. But of course she was used to giving though who were in authority a run for their money, she would just use some snarkiness and try to be a little subtle about how much smarter she was than them. Of course now she didn't want to piss the older sisters off, they didn't know that putting two and two together and coming up with ten was her bread and butter. The same way she had cracked the case from her first class, she knew how to make the best use of her resources, at least this time she didn't have to don a fake personality to find the secret location.
" So Veronica, how did you find us?"
"Well first I noticed when several of the women walked into the room with a fruity aroma that they had all been in the same location doing some kind of setup. Then when I realized that Shania's hair, which is usually picture perfect looked like she had snagged it on something I knew that only some type of branch would do that kind of damage." Veronica said as she noticed Shania instinctively go to fix her hair. The other sisters were laughing as they too knew that Shania liked to look just so and that had been a good giveaway to their location. But most people wouldn't pick up on the clues.
"Then I remembered from my pledge book that Grace studies Biology and has a special passion for horticulture in California particularly fruit trees. So I used our one cell phone to call a friend to look up the research being used at Hearst in the Biology department particularly in the study of fruit plants. Finally after much frustration from her concerning the organization and efficiency of the website she led us to this location that is far from the actual biology lab because it apparently offers the best sunlight for the fruit trees. So it took us all of ten minutes after to walk here." Veronica said knowing she probably looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
Debra was all smiles and the other girls were laughing. It seemed that they were just surprised at the results, and hadn't expected since the girls had only had their pledge books for a short period of time. But Veronica had been staking out a cheating spouse case so she had used that time to read their entire pledge book quite a few times.
"Well done Veronica, and ladies I hope to see similar results for the rest of this process. Now my little cocoons, you're not quite Theta Beta Butterflies but we think it's time that wrap you in your reward. Anchors give these girls their cocoons." Debra said as she stepped aside and Veronica watched as Chelsea, her anchor sister, came at her with a ridiculously big quilt. All the other girls were wrapped in similar quilts that were really long and hanging on the ground. Veronica felt really warm and snug in her own quilt but she noted that they were all different from each other.
"Ladies these are your family quilts, they contain a different patch from each mother and sister in your family tree. By the end of this process you will need to add a new patch to one of the blank patches on the quilt that represents who you are. Next week you will have to use the clue from the last patch on the quilt to find out who your sister mom is. Good job, ladies, as another treat we have little cocoon stuffed animals for you. Have a good night." Debra said as they handed the girls the small stuffed animals and everyone filtered out of the small rooms.
As Veronica walked back to her car she caught the reflection of herself in the windshield of one of the small sedans, carrying the heavy blanket, still wrapped around her shoulders, her pledge book and a stuffed cocoon, she laughed at the image of herself looking like a kid going into her parents' bedroom for a bedtime story. This was not a way she typically saw herself, but she kept smiling as she drove home, wondering what challenge the Theta Betas would throw at her next.
Note: Man that took FOREVER, but life is a horrible thing to happen to a writer. I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I hope I start posting more in my other stories as well. Please leave me some muse fuel (reviews)!