Chapter 31: Interlude Part Two

The morning of Lilian’s ceremony, Delilah woke up in her friend’s bed. They were both tangled up in the sheets, a jumble of limbs and linens that only pure exhaustion had allowed them to sleep through. Lilian was still dead to the world, her mouth partly open as she quietly snored.

Delilah snickered to herself. Lilian always vehemently denied that she snored. Delilah just wished she had some way of recording it so that she could prove it to her.

Strictly speaking, they shouldn’t be in bed together like this. Delilah had snuck out after curfew — aided by the fact that her mother had left to spend the night at the great hall with their leader. Preparing for tomorrows ceremony, she’d said. Lilian’s mother had gone as well, and her sister was young enough that she’d gone to sleep early. Taking her chance, Delilah had snuck into her friend’s room to ‘talk’.

And talk they had. Amongst ... other things. Everything was coming upon them so fast. It had been the last night before Lilian officially became an adult! In only a few weeks more, Delilah would join her. The two of them had whispered and giggled together through the night, planning their future. Thinking about how much things would change, how it would all would get better.

They even wondered if they would be allowed to leave, maybe go into town on one of the the leader’s excursions. Could they find one of those pretty swimsuits?

Their talk had turned to kisses, to caresses. Then, sweaty and panting, they had talked some more. The night had passed without them realising it, and they had only tried to get some sleep when the first hint of morning sun broke the dark blanket of the night.

Delilah looked around, trying to work out what had woken her up. She peered out the window. It was still early, not too far past dawn proper. There were sounds outside of some women starting the day with their morning chores, but nothing loud enough to wake her. Delilah was just about to lay back down, perhaps even see if Lilian could be convinced to have some more fun, when she heard it again. A knock on the door.

“Lilian? I’m hungry!”

Lilian’s sister called out on the other side of the door. Delilah stared blankly for a second and then groaned. She wasn’t too worried about being caught — she’d slept over with Lilian before. Even if her and her friend weren’t usually naked in the bed. But if they were found, Lilian’s sister would talk. And then Delilah’s mother would find out, and then she would have to discuss it with her...

“Too much hassle.”

Delilah grumbled as she sat up in the narrow bed. She struggled for a second, cursing softly as the sheet wrapped around her waist. Delilah reached over and gently shook Lilian by the shoulder. When her friend still didn’t stir, Delilah shook her harder. Lilian woke up with a curtailed snort, rubbing blearily at her eyes.

“Delilah? What are you — what time is it?”

Lilian sat up, yawning. The sheet fell away, exposing her breasts as the slender girl scratched at her ribs. Delilah grinned widely as she saw her friend’s naked body. She threw herself at Lilian, giggling as she pinned the other girl to the bed. Delilah kissed Lilian’s nose, her cheeks and then her mouth. She slid her body from side to side, rubbing her heavy breasts across Lilian’s chest.

Lilian gasped, her cheeks going pink. She grinned up at Delilah.

“How are you still in the mood? Why aren’t you tired?”

Delilah kisses her again, smirking.

“How can I resist when you flaunt yourself in front of me like that?”

“Like what? I just sat up! What’s going on, why aren’t we still sleeping?”

Lilian’s voice had taken on a plaintive note, but her hands had still snaked up to take hold of Delilah’s hips. She craned her neck, nuzzling her face against Delilah’s chest, planting soft kisses on her breasts. Delilah enjoyed the attention for a few moments, her eyes half-closing in satisfaction. But then the knock came again.

Delilah sighed.

“Your sister’s awake.”

Lilian blinked.

“She what — aw shit! But we aren’t even — shit!”

Lilian scrambled out from under Delilah, almost falling over as she got to her feet. She called out to her waiting sister.

“Hang on, I’m just getting dressed — Delilah, where are my clothes?”

The second part was in a hurried whisper to the dark-haired girl still in her bed. Delilah grinned innocently as she tucked Lilian’s underclothes firmly underneath her. She ran her eyes appreciatively over her naked friend.

“How should I know?”

Lilian paused. She turned to face Delilah, her eyes narrowing.

“You think I don’t know when you’re being ‘funny’? Give them here. Now.”

Delilah sighed, reluctantly handing Lilian’s underclothes to her.

“When did you stop being fun? Careful, I know today’s the big day, but don’t let it ruin you.”

Lilian stepped into her clothes, pulling them up her long legs. She glared at Delilah.

“Yeah, today is the big day. I can’t ruin it by — aw shit, do I have circles under my eyes? I do, don’t I? Why did I stay up all night? I’m so stupid!”

Delilah rolled out of bed, putting her arms around her friend. Lilian, despite her distress, still blushed as the still-naked Delilah hugged her tight. Delilah gave her a peck on the lips, and then smiled.

“You thought it was a good idea last night. Each and every time! And don’t worry. You look beautiful.”

Lilian flashed her a pleased smile, but gently extricated herself from Delilah’s arms.

“Come on, you better get dressed as well. I don’t need anything going wrong today. I’ve got to meet with all the other women after lunch.”

Delilah paused from rummaging through the bedding for her underclothes.

“You do? Why? You didn’t tell me that.”

Lilian just shrugged.

“I didn’t? I thought I had. It’s just getting ready. Prepared for the ceremony? Something like that.”

“But that’s hours away! Well after dark! Why would they need you now?”

Lilian rolled her eyes.

“I told you all I know. Come with me and find out. And get dressed!”

Delilah hesitated, but then struck a pose of what she thought was seductive.

“Wouldn’t you rather that I didn’t? We could — ah! Watch it, Lili!”

Delilah ducked as Lilian threw a pillow at her.

After breakfast Delilah and Lilian just wondered around. They didn’t have any chores — or rather, Lilian didn’t. Delilah did, but she counted the inevitable lecture she’d receive for shirking her duties as worth it in return for keeping Lilian company. The mood of everyone around them seemed subdued, as though they were all waiting for something.

Once they’d had lunch — a meagre affair that was mostly salad no matter how much Delilah complained on Lilian’s behalf — they headed to one of the larger houses in the commune. Her mother wasn’t there, and neither was Lilian’s. The group of women waiting for her were the ones that Delilah didn’t know all that well. The newer ones mainly, that had arrived within the last few years. They had a collection of items on the tables inside that Delilah had never seen before. Pallets of brightly coloured powder, metallic instruments that look vaguely like scissors, and other tools.

The two girls hesitated at the door that was held open. After Lilian entered, they tried to close the door on Delilah — blinking in confusion as the dark-haired girl put her foot in the gap before they could shut it. They hesitantly tried to tell Delilah that it was only for Lilian, that it wasn’t her time.

Delilah just scoffed.

“What do you mean? It can’t be like it’s a secret — half the damn compound is in here!”

“Delilah...”

Lilian murmured, flushing with embarrassment. She appeared unsure, but the gravity of the day was beginning to get to her.

“Hush, Lili. It’s fine. Look, if I really can’t be here, why don’t you go ask someone?”

The women in the house blanched. Delilah knew that there was only one person they could go to ask, and that was her grandfather. And there was no way anyone here was going to go and bother him when he had already given his instructions. Delilah didn’t think all that much of all these mousey women — they had no spark, no life. They just seemed to be content to wander around, waiting for their leader to tell them what they should be doing.

When Delilah had her ceremony, she and Lilian were going to change that.

The women in the room stared at her blankly for a moment, and then just nodded. Delilah absently noticed that one of them was the woman who’d she learnt about magazines from.

Delilah sat down in one of the chairs, and crossed her legs. She steepled her fingers, winking at Lilian. Her friend’s lips twitched as she hid a smile.

“So what are we doing here anyway? Are we rehearsing, telling Lili what she’s to expect tonight?”

One of the women, a voluptuous blonde, shook her head. Delilah looked at her curiously — realising that she hadn’t heard this woman speak in maybe a year. She always had her head down, keeping out of the way. Delilah vaguely remembered her being loud at the beginning, but she’d soon embraced her new life here. The dark-haired girl often thought it was unfortunate that the clothing here so ill-suited this woman. The drab and plain outfits washed all the colour from the woman’s pale skin, and even made her bright hair seem dull.

Delilah recalled that she didn’t often get picked to join her grandfather at the end of his sermons.

The blonde woman spoke, her voice subdued. Quiet.

“No practicing. No rehearsing. The ceremony is sacred, and must be kept as a mystery. Only those that are ready to go through it will know of it.”

Delilah tried to give the woman a smile, peering up into her face. Her face had sounded cracked, raspy. Like she’d forgotten how to speak.

“So? Lilian is ready. Why else would we be here? And my turn is in a few weeks. So there’s no need for secrets, right?”

“Delilah...”

Lilian whispered, flushing. Her nerves seemed to be getting to her now that she was standing here, the focal point of attention.

“What? I’m just speaking sense, Lili. Otherwise what are we doing here? We can head down to the beach instead, and have one last day of freedom.”

One of the women in the back glided over to stand in front of the door. Blocking it. The blonde just shook her head.

“His orders are absolute. The initiate must be prepared for the ceremony.”

Delilah rolled her eyes.

“Yes? And you just said you can’t say anything about it. So what exactly are you preparing?”

Two other women took Lilian by the arms, gently encouraging her to stand in the centre of the room. The started to unlace the front of her bodice. The blonde answered.

“We must cleanse and anoint her body. To ready her for the sacred rite. She must be pure.”

Lilian flushed as she was stripped over her dress, now just standing there in her underclothes. Normally it was a sight that always excited Delilah, but now she just felt uneasy. Her friend tried to protest.

“I’m — I mean, I’m clean. I washed this morning?”

The blonde woman walked over to Lilian. She cupped her face with both hands, smiling distantly.

“No. We must purify you. Every inch of you must be perfect ... or else we have failed him.”

Delilah stared as the women stripped Lilian naked. She opened her mouth to protest, but fell silent. Unsure. Lilian was blushing, but she was also nervously smiling as the women undressed her, lifting her arms and legs. Inspecting her. They all murmured compliments, words of praise. Making much of Lilian’s charms.

“Lili, are you ... okay?”

Delilah hesitated as she watched her friend being the centre of attention. Something about all this was striking her as odd — even though it wasn’t all that different from what she’d seen all her life. Her mother often spent a lot of time getting ready before a ritual, but Delilah had never actually thought about Lilian going through it all. It seemed like a waste of effort for a simple coming of age ceremony.

Lilian flashed Delilah a distracted smile.

“It’s um, a bit weird? But I — woah! Oh...”

The women had brought a washbasin over, and had begun to rub a cloth soaked in scented water over Lilian’s legs and feet. They were taking their time, their touch soft, as they worked their way up Lilian’s body.

“Lili?”

“It’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting that — hnngh.”

Lilian pressed her lips tightly together, blushing as the women gently encouraged her to part her legs so they could wash between them. They were impersonal, but also bold enough to be touching her everywhere — moving and manipulating every part of her body so they could ‘cleanse’ it.

Next they started to rub some kind of foaming lotion all over her, against starting at the bottom of her legs. They brandished razors, and with terrible and inexorable slowness, started to shave Lilian. They moved up her legs, skilfully navigating the curves of her calves and thighs. And then even higher, removing all traces of the hair around her pubis. They kept going higher, even if Delilah would have never bothered — shaving Lilian’s stomach. Even the soft swell of her breasts.

“What? Why are you doing that? There isn’t even — I mean, why?”

Delilah stood up, blinking as she watched. There were five separate pairs of hands on Lilian, all doing something different while somehow not getting in each other’s way. Lilian was blushing bright red as she was handled so impersonally, so taken aback that she didn’t even muster up any protest as she was encouraged to lean forward so that the cheeks of her ass could be spread apart.

The blonde woman cast a glance at Delilah.

“We have our orders. Everything must be perfect for the Rite. Everything must be as he decrees.”

Delilah stared, then looked away. Muttering to herself.

“What a load of — I’m going to speak to grandfather about this. It’s so unnecessary...”

Delilah had been louder than she thought, as the blonde woman stepped closer. She stared steadily into the dark-haired teenager’s eyes.

“It is simply what is. We all have gone through it. All been anointed and prepared. It is vital. It is the only way to show that you are ready to truly become one with Serenity.”

The remaining women all murmured together.

“To become one...”

Lilian looked back over her shoulder at Delilah. Her face was still flushed but she looked determined.

“It’s fine, Delilah. It’s a little ... odd. But it’s not like it hurts or anything.”

“Yes, but —”

Lilian shook her head.

“It’s worth it. Remember what we talked about last night? When we are both full members ... this is all in aid of that.”

Delilah rubbed at her arm, looking to one side.

“I just don’t like other people touching you like that. Not after...”

Delilah flushed. The other women whispered together and laughed gently. One leant forward and spoke into Lilian’s ear, making her smile. She turned to Delilah.

“Look, she’s right. It’s okay to feel left out — but your turn will come! It’s only a few weeks. Don’t be jealous, okay?”

“ ... jealous?”

Delilah looked at Lilian incredulously. The blonde woman addressed Delilah as the rest of them whispered around Lilian.

“Lilian is right. Your time will come. Be patient. But now it is her time. She is cleaned and will now be adorned. Readied for ascension!”

The rest of the women murmured as one again.

“Praise be.”

Delilah shifted uneasily.

“Ascension? I haven’t heard that — ascension to what?”

Lilian hissed at her as a woman began to braid her her into an intricate pattern.

“Delilah — just ... don’t. Okay?”

The blonde woman just smiled, a strange light coming into her eyes. Making them seem to radiate.

“She will ascend to a higher place. The knowledge of the grand design — and our places within it — will be made clear. It is a heady honour, reserved just for we chosen.”

Lilian shivered, looking excited.

“Wow ... Delilah, did you know that?”

Delilah grimaced. She looked aside as a woman began to apply a faint rouge to Lilian’s nipples, making them appear redder than they were.

“It doesn’t sound like ... it’s just meaningless. Right?”

Lilian didn’t affect to hear her.

Delilah left soon after that. She felt out of place, like she wasn’t wanted. Even Lilian seemed to find her presence more like she was getting in the way than anything else. Delilah walked aimlessly around the compound, affecting not to hear when someone asked her to come help with a chore.

She was feeling uncharacteristically rebellious. Even for her.

There was a vague feeling of apprehension inside of her, and it was growing stronger as the day went on. Not knowing where to go, she ended up back at her house. To Delilah’s surprise she wasn’t alone. Her mother was there.

“Delilah. Shouldn’t you be busy with something right now?”

Delilah folded her arms.

“Like what?”

Her mother sighed, turning aside.

“I don’t need to list what you already know. Not if you’re going to insist upon being childish.”

“I am not!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me. Whatever has you riled up — I didn’t do it.”

Delilah frowned at her mother. She wasn’t the best confidante, but apart from Lilian, she had no-one to talk to. Delilah took a breath.

“I want to go to the Rite tonight. Lilian’s ceremony.”

Her mother didn’t even raise her head.

“Don’t be silly. You’re not allowed. You know this.”

Delilah flung her hands in the air.

“Why aren’t I? Grandfather always says I’m his heir. Why can’t I just come and watch? What’s the big secret anyway?”

Her mother paused.

“You shouldn’t say that. It’s not saf — not seemly. He is our leader.”

“Oh, don’t you start on that as well. It’s just like what he said a few days ago. Like he hasn’t been my grandfather all his life. ‘Leader’. Hah!”

Delilah’s mother turned and stared at her with wide eyes. She hesitated, and then turned — shutting the windows. She spoke over her shoulder to her daughter.

“Quiet, dear. You’re too old to be throwing tantrums. Just ... show respect. Please.”

“Why should I? What is this grand ceremony anyway? And don’t pretend you don’t know! I was with Lilian as she was being ‘anointed’. All the things they were doing? They stripped her naked! What’s the point of all that?”

Delilah’s mother drew in a sharp breath.

“You shouldn’t have been there. It’s not for you.”

“Why not? Does that mean I won’t have to go through all that in a few weeks time?”

Her mother trembled, biting her lip.

“ ... no. But it’s sacred. Special. You shouldn’t have seen it until you were ready —”

“‘Special’! Yes, you always said I was special. So did grandfather. Am I really? Because it doesn’t seem like it. You’re still trying to keep me in the dark.”