Initiation

"Your number decides your fate," said Meredith, the leader of The Sisterhood.

The six of us were positioned behind a long, banquet table covered with a jet-black, velvet tablecloth. In front of us were six plates, each with a thick slice of decadent chocolate cake nestled on top. Next to each plate was a tiny, numbered place card and above, a small scroll tied with ribbon. Meredith stood up. She was holding an opaque bowl in both her hands like an offering, as she walked over to us with a menacing grin. A group of silver handles stuck out from inside.

"Each of you will pick a fork from this bowl. Each fork is numbered one through six, as is each slice of cake. Once you draw your fork, find the cake with the matching number. Understand?" said Meredith.

We nodded.

This was the final task in our initiation, and I couldn't help but think that it wasn't much of a climax. The previous task involved being abducted and taken into the woods in the dead of night with nothing but a blanket, compass, water bottle, and a note that told us to "find our way back" by morning. The one before that had been to steal a precious item from a member of our family and destroy it while another member of the initiation group filmed us for collateral. It seemed unimaginative to end the initiation with dessert.

"Cara, you're up first, babes," said Meredith.

Cara walked up to the bowl outstretched in Meredith's hands, drew a fork, and took her seat behind slice number two. Five more to go.

Serena was next. She drew number one. Then Devon, number five. Julien went after her and drew number three. Only Claire and I remained.

"Mollie," said Meredith.

I walked up slowly. Meredith's emerald-green eyes and fiery red hair had always reminded me of a siren. Alluring, yet conniving. It was no secret that she reveled in others' discomfort, especially when she was the cause, and tonight was no exception.

"Your turn," she said.

I drew my fork, and then mechanically took my place behind slice number six. The only fork left to be drawn was number four, which Claire drew anticlimactically, and proceeded to her seat.

"Well, ladies. You've made it," said Meredith. "These six slices of cake are all that stand between you and The Sisterhood."

The six of us turned to one another, trying to sus out if this task was in fact just about eating cake.

"Think of this as your graduation," said Meredith. "A time to celebrate."

Claire raised her hand.

"Yes?" said Meredith.

"Sorry, it's just... aren't there supposed to be three tasks?" said Claire.

"Silly, girl," said Meredith. "This is the third task. Was that not clear?"

"Oh," said Claire. "So, we're just supposed to eat cake?"

"Eating cake may seem simple, but each task has its unique challenges," said Meredith, her eerie grin growing with every word she spoke.

"When time starts, open the scroll at the top of your plate, on which you'll find a riddle. You'll have one hour's time in which to solve the riddle and finish your cake. Anyone who does not complete both within the time limit, will unfortunately not be invited to join The Sisterhood." said Meredith. "Is that clear?"

We nodded.

"When you've worked out your riddle, raise your hand and one of the sisters will come over to hear your answer. If you've answered correctly, you may begin eating your cake. The task ends at midnight. Any questions?"

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Mollie?"

"What if we answer incorrectly?" I asked.

"I would urge you not to raise your hand unless you're absolutely positive you have the correct answer, as you will be disqualified," said Meredith.

I nodded.

"Lovely," said Meredith, placing a clock in the middle of the table. It was 10:57 p.m. She set an alarm, and we waited in silence.

...10:58... 10:59... 11:00.

"You may begin," she said.

I frantically opened my scroll, which read,

"A sweet taste of me can be like a sin, I will take you away from a game you can't win, an unlucky fortune, a bag of old tricks, when you end up with me, it's the curse of the six."

Curse of the six? I thought. Like 666? The curse of the devil? Hmm... the devil and an unlucky fortune... something sweet? Maybe it's a reference to the Garden of Eden? Eve and the apple?

I looked around at the other girls. They were all lost in concentration, staring down their scrolls, desperately willing an answer to come to them.

Focus. I thought. A taste of something sweet... The apple was a sin, right? Which led to the corruption of mankind? Or was it banishment from Eden, or both? Leave it to me not to remember the specifics of the most known story on Earth. Ugh, never mind that. Let's see. When you end up with me... something sweet...

My head spun. We were only 15 minutes into the task when I saw Devon raise her hand. I watched as one of the sisters came over to her. She whispered her answer, and the sister smiled, nodding for her to eat her cake. She'd done it. I watched in horror as Devon began eating. Once she'd finished, her plate was cleared, and she was led over to where the other sisters stood. Meredith presented her with a red hooded robe and a bubbly glass of what appeared to be champagne. She was in.

I could feel tiny beads of sweat running down my back, as my heart beat like a drum inside my chest. Get it together, Mollie, I thought. You can do this. I focused on the line, "I will take you away from a game you can't win." What is a game you can't win? A game of chance? The game of love? My mind was totally blank, and then it hit me.

"All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players." A former drama teacher of mine had spoken this Shakespeare quote to our class more times than I could count, and it replayed vividly to me now. It's life! Life is a game we cannot win. There are no rules, no instructions, no cheat codes, we eventually die at the end... so if life is a game, we all eventually lose! That's gotta be it!

Just then, Claire raised her hand. I looked at the clock. We were almost at the halfway point. She shared her answer, got a sisterly nod, and ate her cake. Once done, she too was given a red robe and a champagne flute and guided to her place among the other sisters. Two down, four to go.

Before I could get back to my riddle, I saw Julien raise her hand. You've got to be joking, I thought. Before I knew it, she was wearing a red robe, holding a glass of champagne, and standing smugly with the other sisters. I was running out of time.

Okay, so if the game that no one can win is life, who takes you away from it? God? Time? Sickness? Tragedy? Accident? It seemed like given the chance, plenty of things could take your life, and I didn't know which to choose. But then I remembered that it had to be something sweet, something sinful...

Another glance at the clock revealed that we only had twenty minutes left and I began to panic. My heart started racing at lightspeed and tiny beads of sweat welled up on my temple. If that wasn't enough, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cara raise her hand. She finished her cake and took her place with the sisters. It was just Claire and I left. I looked over at her to see her head buried in her hands. She looked deflated and didn't appear any closer to solving her riddle than I was, which gave me a bit of comfort, but not much.

Ten minutes later, Claire's hand shot up into the air, and before I knew it, she was standing with the coven of the robe-clad sisters. With only minutes left to solve my riddle and eat my cake, I now had the added pressure of all eyes on me. Fuck.

I kept going back to the apple from the Garden of Eden story. I thought I had something with the number six and the Devil. Then it hit me. Temptation! Temptation could take you away from the game of life in any number of ways—eating an apple, for instance. Temptation could taste sweet like a sin, and if it killed you, it was most certainly an unlucky fortune. The only thing that didn't quite add up was the bit about "the curse of the six," but I didn't have the time to spare. This was the closest I'd come to feeling like I had the answer. If I waited any longer, I wouldn't have enough time to eat the substantial slice of cake in front of me. It was now or never.

I raised my hand wildly into the air, my eyes fixed on the clock. A sister came over to me and I proudly whispered my answer in her ear. She paused and motioned to Meredith who immediately came over to us. She told her what I'd said and then looked to Meredith for approval. Why hadn't anyone else needed her approval? I thought. Meredith looked down at my scroll for a few seconds, and then up at me.

"You may eat," she said and then walked back to the sisters.

Confused as I was, there were only four minutes left on the clock, and I wasted no time. I inhaled my slice of cake, hardly even pausing to taste it, and then I got up from my seat and walked toward the sisters. Once there, I was handed a champagne flute, but no robe, which only furthered my confusion, but I said nothing. Just then, the clock sounded loudly through the banquet hall. It was midnight.

"Well, sisters," said Meredith. "Congratulations. You've passed the final task. All that's left is the induction feast. But first, a toast!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, than I watched as every sister in the room pulled their hood over their head. Then, as if choreographed, they all turned to face me and quickly formed a circle with me at the center.

"Raise your glasses," said Meredith.

As I raised my glass, the room began to spin. I felt immediately weak in my legs, and I toppled hard onto the cold, stone floor beneath me and began to retch. Violently, remnants of chocolate made their way up from my stomach and spilled out of my mouth. In seconds, the floor was stained thick with my blood. I lay helpless, frail, and disoriented, my skin and hair stuck to the floor in a coagulated mess. I couldn't understand what was happening, or if any of it was real, and then I heard Meredith's voice in my ear.

"Silly girl," she said. "The curse of the six is not temptation, although it was a fine guess. It's death. Death to you, our weakest link. The unlucky one who drew number six."

I wriggled in pain, taking my final breaths, and looking up at my would-be sister as she continued her toast.

"Welcome to The Sisterhood," said Meredith. "Tonight, we invite in five new members, and sacrifice one, to achieve a perfect number ten. As we feast on her flesh and drink of her blood, give thanks for your good fortune and continued prosperity! For as she becomes part of each of us, we become bonded in sisterhood forever."

The four veteran sisters stripped off my clothes, placed my lifeless body onto a wooden plank, and lifted me onto the banquet table. The last thing I heard as I wafted completely out of consciousness was Meredith's unearthly voice telling the sisters to take their places at the table. This time, she handed them each a knife.