Permafrost Academy

Chapter One

Fleck felt his eyes glistening with tears. He couldn't see through the reflection of the sun on the marble walls. Penny's grip on his shoulder was so tight he felt it was to pop out of its socket. 

"Be good here. Don't cause trouble, because you won't get the grace of being expelled. You can't leave till' next year. I assume that means troublemakers only get punished." She smiled down at him with such hatred in her eyes, Fleck wished to scream and run in the opposite direction. 

It was never clear why Fleck caused trouble at the orphanage. If he tried to write a book with a crow feather, the cloth supply would be soaked with ink. If he tried to build a model boat with popsicle sticks, someone would be stabbed with splintered wood. Fleck didn't mean to cause trouble, but once he was in it, it was impossible to get out of. 

Towering above them was a stone gate with bars made of iron. Penny stopped abruptly at the front of it silently. 

Fleck looked up at her stony face. She finally met his gaze. 

"What? Looking for last words of wisdom?"

He didn't answer, but she spoke anyway. 

"Okay...okay...well...Miss Snowflake, your new headmaster, told me to tell you that you are wanted at the auditorium for the first season meeting. Good luck!" With a cackle, she wandered off, her boots leaving round circles in the dusty dirt. 

Fleck stared at the bars and rapped his knuckles on the wooden part. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the bars lifted, clouds of dust circling and stinging his eyes. 

He waited until they were fully lifted before crossing the threshold. The entrance was eerily silent.

He got a good look at the Academy. It was made of various stones built up to tall towers. the towers were connected by thick strips of gray, smooth stone. Seemingly, four towers would be placed to form a square, with a courtyard in the center. Fleck could only see about four squares, but he could guess there were at least ten. In the center of the towers were more floors with a usual gap in the center to let the sun shine to the courtyards.

"Good morning. You must be Fleck. Welcome to Permafrost Academy. Follow me to your dorm. You may get settled in before reporting to the auditorium for a manditory meeting. You'll find a map in your dorm. You may ask one question, because I have to introduce everyone else."

Fleck had multiple questions. Like what "getting settled" meant if he had no belongings. Or what would happen if he didn't attend the meeting. or what the man meant by "everyone else" as the entrance was completely abandoned. However, he knew none of these questions would matter.

"Will I be sharing the dorm with anyone else?"

The man shrugged. "Most definitely. We have so many new students attending that it is almost impossible for someone to have their dorm to themselves. Follow me."

He led him through one of the strips of metal which led to a tower. They climbed up a set of stairs, ignoring the dorms on each floor. Finally, he stopped at one and directed Fleck to the door leading inside. The man handed him a key. 

"You reside in dorm 304. The tower number is written on your key, which isn't replicable." The man promptly walked down the stairs, leaving Fleck in the dust. 

Fleck inserted the key in the keyhole, turned it, and pulled open the metal door. He walked in carefully. The light cast a white glow over the room.

The dorm had two beds in each corner, both having plain white blankets. There was what looked like a plastic laundry basket beside each bed. A work desk sat near the door, and a window was in the back with an ugly, spotted, and stained blue curtain. Last, there was a chair under the window.

However, the chair wasn't what was interesting.

It was that someone was sitting in it.