Initiation: Oak 7

Transition can be awkward for everyone. Maybe the group doesn't think someone fits, or the someone doesn't think he fits. These eventually chicken-and-egg out until there's an elephant in the room forever. That's why I like hazing. You have to do this thing, and it's gonna suck, but at the end of it you deserve to be accepted. On the other side, "man, he really did that. And now he's one of us."

It's 10:07 on 10/07 and it's initiation into Oak 7 time. Headlights swing into view at the end of the long driveway in front of Rice Hall. The gray passenger van accelerates only to squeel to a stop in front of me. A shorter guy in a stocking mask jumps out.
"Get in the van!" it's Andrew, I can tell from his laugh. He pushes me into the second row of seats and tells me to put a bandana over my eyes.
"Now put your belt on or we'll get in trouble." More laughter tells me it's Joshua in the passenger seat, and Jamie in the drivers, I'm almost sure. I try to memorize the turns, but I lose count, and I'm clueless. After five minutes the van stops. I fall on the way out of the van, crumpling in laughter the whole situation is so ridiculous. Through a few sets of doors, and the smell of moldy carpet and fresh paint. There is more laughter in here, and it seems the whole team is present. "oh jeez.." one of the girls says and others shush her.
"Take off your blindfold" I think it's Will, my new team leader.

I pull it off slowly. The room is dark except for one miner's light directed right in my eyes. Behind the light, Will stands arms crossed with nine corps members behind him black-clad. Our ceremony starts with a repeated statement. "I, Colin Hill, do swear my allegiance to Oak 7, and by my word renounce all lesser teams past and present."
Now it's puzzle time with a Mr. Potatohead. Eyes to feet-hole, feet to face-hole, arm to hat-hole. "I don't know, can we accept that?" someone else says, "good enough."

"Alright Colin, stand up and take off your jacket. Now face the wall." I go a step further and put my hands on the wall. I don't know what's coming at all.
"With this shot you become Oak." I hear the click of a hammer, and then a pop. My first thought is how much Nerf guns hurt.
"With this shot you gain ten friends." a spot above my shoulder burns. I want to reach back and see if I have a suckered bullet stuck to my shirt.
"With this shot you gain a family." Now I know it's not Nerf, but I have no idea what it is. A shot from each of my new teammates later my back is pebbled with little red pocks. One blisters on my arm, and another on the inside of my thigh, apparently Mattie was aiming at my butt. I turn around and give everybody a hug. "I better belong now," I think. My teammates buy me a shot at Golf Rite and we call it a night.

The next time Im involved in an initiation, I want to be shooting the air rifle. PS when I find a paintball field in Iowa, all you guys are going down.