The Ritual

by Jean-Luc Cheri

  She led us into a large back room, which at one time had served as a locker room for the gym, but was now stripped of all lockers and shower fixtures. Several bare light bulbs hung from the ceiling, casting the room in a soft glow. To our surprise, a bubbling hot tub sat in one corner, with a few people already in it. Several other young people were standing around, all of them in orange robes like the woman.

  Two of the young people saw us and came over, and I recognized one of them as Sahara, my beautiful crush. The other was Stone, a guy who was two years older than us.

  “Come,” Sahara said with a smile as she took my hand and led me over to the hot tub. Stone did the same with Rain.

  As we neared the tub, I recognized the people in it as Clover and Destiny, both girls, and a guy named Shea. They were the other participants in tonight’s Ritual. The only one not here yet was Echo.

  I also noticed that they were naked, with Clover and Destiny’s breasts visible at the top of the bubbling water.

  “Here, let me help you with this,” Sahara said, and pulled my shirt up over my head. Then she dropped to her knees in front of me and began undoing my shorts. I looked over and saw that Stone was doing the same to my sister, helping her get undressed.

  Soon, Sahara had my shorts and underwear down and off, and my cock flopped out. It was no longer hard, but it wasn’t completely soft either, hanging out and down in a lazy droop. Sahara looked at it and then smiled up at me before standing.

  “Let me help you into the cleansing pool,” Sahara said, and took me by the hand again, leading me over to the tub. There was a chair beside it, and I stepped up onto it, then into the warm water of the tub. The other bathers grinned nervously at me.

  “Dude, glad you could join us,” Shea said. The girls giggled at his comment.

  “Thanks,” I replied, then looked up to see Rain stepping into the tub. I couldn’t help but stare between her legs, where her now-familiar pussy was on display beneath her pubic curls. When I glanced at Shea, I saw that he was checking out her body too.

  Rain settled in beside me and smiled at the others. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey,” they replied in unison.

  “Rain,” Clover said, “Did your mother make you drink something?”

  “Yeah,” Rain replied. “Bad tasting Lemango.”

  The other girls nodded. “Same for us,” Destiny said. “Do you know what it was?”

  “No clue,” Rain replied.

  “Echo’s here,” Clover said, looking over my shoulder. I turned to see our friend being guided to the tub by another of the youths in an orange robe. It occurred to me that there were six attendants, one for each of us in the ritual. And each one was the opposite sex of the person they were attending. This gave me an idea.

  We watched as Echo’s attendant removed his clothes and then led him to the tub. Clover slid over, making room beside her, and I watched as she watched Echo enter the tub, smiling as he sat beside her.

  The girl who led Echo to the tub said, “The cleansing will begin in ten minutes.” Then she walked to the other side of the room where the other attendants were waiting.

  “Cleansing?” Destiny said. “What does that mean?” She was a tall, willowy blonde with pear-shaped breasts.

  “I have no idea,” Shea replied, and we all shrugged, letting her know we were clueless too.

  “So,” Echo said, “has anyone figured out what’s going to happen?”

  “I think it has to do with sex,” Clover said. She was short and compact, and just looking at her you’d never think she was eighteen. She looked a few years younger than that. Her hair was dark and long, and her breasts were full and round.

  “So do I,” Rain said, nodding.

  “Me too,” Shea added. He was tall and muscular, and Rain told me once that all the girls thought he was cute.

  “Same here,” I said. “And I have an idea what might be happening.”

  They all looked at me with heightened interest.

  “What is it?” Rain asked.

  I glanced over to where the attendants were standing. “Did you notice we each had someone different helping us get undressed?”

  They all nodded. “Yeah, it was the same for us before you got here,” Shea said.

  “And were they all the opposite sex?” I asked him.

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Maybe that’s it,” I said. “Maybe those are the ones we’re going to have sex with. That’s why we’re matched up the way we are.”

  The others thought about this and began to nod.

  “Makes sense,” Shea said.

  “Yeah,” Clover added.

  Rain smiled. “Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking on your part, River. I know you have the hots for Sahara.”

  I grinned as the others laughed. “Yeah, maybe,” I replied.

  “Yeah, she’s hot,” Shea said, then looked at me. “You want to switch?”

  We all laughed again.

  “So if it is sex,” Echo began, “does that mean we have to do it in front of everyone?”

  “I guess,” Destiny replied.

  “Yeah, that’s going to be weird if it’s true,” Clover said.

  “I couldn’t do it,” Shea announced. “No way I’m getting a boner in front of my mother.”

  We all laughed again, nodding in agreement.

  “Maybe we’ll have sex with each other,” Clover said, staring at Echo. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

  “Yeah, that’d be cool too,” Shea said, giving Rain a smile. I felt a spike of jealousy fill my head as I imagined Shea fucking my sister.

  “Yeah, very cool,” Destiny said, smiling at me.

  I realized that if Clover was right, we’d already chosen our couplings. I stared back at Destiny. She was pretty enough, but she just wasn’t my type. On the other hand, I could think of worse girls in Haven I could lose my virginity to. I gave Destiny a smile.

  When I looked back at Rain, she was frowning at me, as if my flirting with Destiny was upsetting her. I gave her a shrug, trying to let her know it was meaningless.

  “Maybe we should change seats,” Shea said, still staring at my sister like a wolf staring at a lamb. “Let them know who’s with who.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Destiny said, still smiling at me.

  “I’m good,” Clover said, leaning over to rest her head on Echo’s shoulder.

  As for Echo, he looked slightly confused. If all things were equal, I knew he’d want to be with Rain, since he’d had a crush on her for a while. But Clover had clearly taken an interest in him, and it was obvious he was enjoying the new attention.

  “I’m fine where I am,” Rain said. “Besides, it looks like the cleansing is about to start.”

  We all looked where she was staring, and saw the orange-robed attendants headed our way. Stone was leading them.

  Chapter 13

  “The cleansing shall now commence,” Stone announced. “Rain, you’ll be first. Please stand.”

  Rain paused for a moment, then stood in the tub. The water flowed off her body, and her soft and round breasts stood up firm, her nipples stiff from the slightly cooler air. Her pubic hair was matted to her pussy, and I had a flashback to earlier, when I’d explored it with my tongue. That seemed so long ago now, as if it’d happened in a different world.

  Stone pulled his robe over his head, revealing that he was completely naked underneath. His cock was soft, and hung down over his balls. One of the other attendants handed him a sponge, and he stepped up onto the chair and then into the tub, standing directly in front of my sister.

  “The cleanse symbolizes the washing away of childhood,” Stone began, and dipped the sponge in the water before bringing it up to Rain’s chest. He began to rub her with it, starting at her chest and then moving up to her face. Then he slid it back downward, over her breasts.

  Rain stared straight ahead, stoically allowing him to touch her intimate places. He dipped the sponge in the water again and brought it
up to her stomach, then worked his way down over her navel to her crotch. She spread her legs slightly to allow him between, and he moved to the tops of her thighs before encountering the top of the bubbling water.

  Then he moved to her back, running the sponge over her shoulders and downward. When he rubbed her butt, Shea snickered.

  Finally, Stone straightened and said, “Your cleanse is complete, Rain. Your childhood is washed from you.”

  He then took her by the hand and led her from the tub, where one of the other attendants handed him a towel. He began to dry Rain off.

  Echo’s attendant stepped forward. “Echo, please stand.”

  Echo complied, his muscular brown body glistening from the water. His cock had been soft when he’d gotten in the tub, but now it was slightly stiff, jutting out and down. I wondered if Clover had been doing anything to him under the water.

  His attendant pulled her robe off and stepped into the tub. She was a little older, in her early twenties, and her breasts were very large and a little saggy. And her nipples were huge, like four inches in diameter.

  She gave Echo the same treatment as Stone gave Rain, except when she got to his cock she gripped it through the sponge and gave it a few strokes, causing it to stick out even straighter as she moved on. Once again, Shea snickered at this.

  After Echo was escorted from the tub, it was Clover’s turn. Then Destiny’s. Each of them got the same treatment, and I noticed that my sister and Echo were now wearing white robes, and their attendants had put their orange robes back on. They were all watching the rest of us being cleansed.

  Shea was next, and when he stood from the water, we all saw that he was totally erect, his cock sticking up at an angle like an iron spike. I wanted to snicker at him, but thought it would be inappropriate.

  His attendant washed him, and when she got to his cock, she gave it an extra few strokes, causing him to grin wide. Then he was done and it was my turn.

  Sahara stepped forward and I stood without being asked. She removed her robe and stepped into the tub with me. I’d seen her naked before, but once again I admired her beauty. Her curvy body looked very soft, including her big, rounded breasts, which were topped with puffy half-dollar-sized areolas and nipples that stuck out about an inch.

  She gave me a smile as she began to wash me with the sponge, rubbing it over my chest.

  “Having fun?” she said softly, low enough for only me to hear.

  “Yeah,” I replied, giving her a smile in return.

  “Nervous?”

  “A little.”

  “You’ll be fine. It’s a little bizarre, but you’ll survive. We all did.”

  I smiled. “That’s reassuring to hear.”

  The sponge had reached my groin, and she rubbed it over my chubby dick. Then she gripped it with the sponge and began to stroke. I felt myself stiffening even further.

  “You have a nice big one,” she said, almost into my ear. “We should get together sometime.”

  That was all it took for my cock to surge to full hardness, and when she pulled the sponge away a few seconds later, my cock was just like Shea’s had been – stiff as a board and pointing towards the ceiling. Several of the people watching giggled, but when I glanced at Rain, she didn’t look happy at all.

  Sahara finished my back and then stood beside me. “Your cleanse is complete, River. Your childhood is washed from you.”

  As she spoke, her hand moved behind me and rested on my opposite butt cheek. Before she moved away to take my hand, she gave my ass a squeeze, causing my cock to twitch.

  She led me from the tub and dried me off, spending a few extra seconds on my still-hard dick. Then she helped me put the white robe on, which my erection tented out in front.

  “All of you wait here,” Stone announced. “Father Yod will be in shortly to lead you out for the Ritual.”

  With that, all the attendants filed out of the room, leaving us alone.

  “Well, that was weird,” Shea said.

  “I thought it was fun,” Clover said, still standing next to Echo.

  Rain was silent, avoiding my gaze. I sidled over next to her and pulled her away from the group.

  “You okay?” I said quietly.

  “I’m fine,” she replied, but didn’t look at me.

  “Why are you upset?”

  “I’m not upset.” She stared over at the others.

  “You seem upset.”

  She turned her attention to me. “What were you two talking about?”

  “Who?”

  “You know who. You and Sahara.”

  “We were just talking.”

  “About what?”

  “Um, stuff.”

  “What kind of stuff?”

  “You know. Things.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Well…”

  “Tell me, River.”

  “She said I had a nice big one and we should get together.”

  My sister glared at me. “Are you?”

  “Am I what?”

  “Going to get together with her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you want to?”

  “What kind of question is that? She’s beautiful.”

  “More beautiful than me?”

  “Rain, that’s so unfair. You’re my sister.”

  “That didn’t seem to matter to you earlier when your dick was in my mouth.”

  I looked around, making sure no one was listening. “Would you keep it down?” I whispered.

  “I don’t care.”

  “Well I do. What do you think Mom and Dad would say if they found out?”

  This seemed to calm her a bit. She took a deep breath. “I don’t like it.”

  “Rain, I’m not sure what’s going to happen in a few minutes, but I know I’m not going to be able to face it with you upset at me. We need to be together on this.”

  She softened further. “You’re right. I’ll wait to be pissed at you until later.”

  I grinned. “That’s the spirit.”

  She ruefully grinned back. “Jerk.”

  I was about to answer her when the door opened and Father Yod stepped into the room. We all turned to face him, giving him our undivided attention.

  Chapter 14

  Father Yod was wearing a robe similar to ours, except his was bright red. He raised his hands and held them out, smiling wide.

  “Oh, my beautiful children, it is such a pleasure to welcome you entirely into our community. I’m so excited for you all.”

  We all nodded but didn’t reply.

  “Are you ready?” he said.

  We nodded again, and I felt my heart rate pick up.

  “Then follow me out to meet the others. When we get on stage, find your bonding partner and stand in front of them. Once you do, the ceremony will start.”

  He turned back towards the door, and we got in line behind him. Then he started walking.

  He pushed the door open and someone held it open as we walked single file into the Assembly Hall. The place was packed, someone in every seat, and the stage was lit with bright spotlights. The crowd began to applaud as we made our way up the center aisle to the stage.

  The stage was only a few feet off the floor, and a stool had been placed so we could easily step up onto it. I saw Sahara smiling at me in her orange robe, which seemed even brighter under the lights. I walked over to her.

  “Ready?” she said.

  “I think so.”

  “Stand in front of me and face your neighbors.”

  I did as she asked, and saw that Rain and the others were doing the same. After a few seconds we were in position, and the crowd quieted. Rain was on my left and Echo was on my right, with the other three on his other side. When I squinted from the lights, I saw Mom and Dad sitting in the front row. They were both staring up at us with proud expressions on their faces.

  Father Yod strode to the center of the stage and held up his hands. The crowd quieted completely.

 
; “Friends,” he began, “I welcome you to another great celebration. Six more of our children are ready to become full members of our community. With this Ritual, we symbolize the handing over from parents to community. Moms and dads, you’ve proudly done your job, and now it’s time for your offspring to leave the nest and fly on their own.”

  The crowd burst into applause, and continued to do so until Father Yod raised his hands again.

  “Clover, Destiny and Rain. Echo, Shea, and River. Are you ready and willing to enter into this Ritual, so that you may become full members of Haven?”

  “Yes,” we replied in unison.

  “Are there any of you who wish to leave?”

  We all looked at each other, then replied in unison again. “No.”

  Father Yod smiled wide. “Very good. Let us proceed then. Bonding partners, apply the blindfolds.”

  I quickly looked over at Rain, and saw Stone take a strip of white cloth and place it over her eyes before pulling it back and beginning to tie it. But my view was cut off as Sahara did the same to me. I felt her snug it tight and bind it at the back of my head.

  “Can you see anything?” she said in a soft voice.

  I checked, looking up and down. “No.”

  “Good. Just relax now.”

  I tried to do as she requested, but this was so unexpected. No one mentioned anything about blindfolds.

  “Excellent,” Father Yod’s booming voice was heard. “The blindfolds symbolize today’s wayward society, blind to what is important in life. Here at Haven, most of us have lived those lives of desperation, and never want to go back. Our eyes have been opened, just like our six inductees’ eyes will be opened shortly. But they must understand what it is like to be blind first, so they can appreciate the light.”

  “First, they must be shed of all encumbrances, just like all of you came here with nothing but love to give. Bonding partners, remove their robes.”

  I felt my robe being tugged up from behind, and raised my arms as Sahara pulled it over my head and off. Luckily, my nervousness had caused my erection to recede, because the last thing I wanted was to be sporting a boner while blindfolded and naked in front of a crowd that included my parents.

  “Such beauty,” Father Yod said. “Each one like a work of art. We are lucky to be blessed with such youthful splendor. I’m certain their fruitfulness and fertility will ensure that Haven lives on far into the future.”