Permafrost Academy

Chapter Four

Dapple stared, astonished. Snow was falling from a cloudless sky. There was no scientific explanation. Could it be magic? 

"Brr, it's chilly out here. How did these guys know to bring scarfs?" She hugged herself and spun on the spot. 

"They live here," Dapple replied pointedly. 

"Yeah, yeah, smarty-pants." 

"How is it possible? We left only moments ago, and even if it snowed the moment we left, it wouldn't be enough time to pile in hills of snows. It's just not possible. Do you think there's a library? Maybe I could--,"

"Hold up, smart-ass," Pepper snapped, holding up her hand as if stopping traffic. "Don't get nerdy on me. I really don't care how or why there's snow here. But on the good side...," she snapped her fingers and her contagious, joyful grin returned. "Free ice skates!" 

Pepper was right. A lousy sign was propped up by a circle of ice, reading "FREE ICE SKATES (AS LONG AS YOU LIVE!)". It was an odd heading, but Pepper didn't seem to care. Forgetting how freezing it was outside, Dapple giggled and followed Pepper, feeling like she was eight years old again.

Ever since her eleventh birthday, things had gotten tense in her house. Her mother would slam forks on the table and leave dinner without an obvious motivation. Her father would make snippy comments about how Dapple's brother's disappearance was her fault, not  his. Sometimes, Dapple curled up under her blankets and imagined what it would be like if she was going through this with her brother. He was always funny and understood her all the time. When she begged for her parents to read her a story and they were too busy to, he would sit next to her and read patiently, even if the story was about planets or plants or things he hated learning about. Mainly, fairy tales.

But then, he went to Permafrost Academy, and everything changed. He didn't ever write to their parents. No contact came at all. Even the school itself didn't send her his marks or tell them anything at all. When the first year was over, he didn't return to the house. It was the same thing the next year, and the next. At that point, Dapple's mother was so fed up with her father that she sent Dapple away. The last thing she remembered was her mother's desperate cry. "You see what you've done? You never wanted him and you don't want her. I hope you think about this every time you go to sleep. She's gone, Max. Gone." 

"Are you coming?" Pepper's sassy voice interrupted Dapple's thinking. 

"Y...yes. I was just thinking about something."

They ice skated for a couple hours until Pepper protested that she was too cold to carry on. Dapple, energetic and excited, pointed at every painting, every door, and every sign as they passed by on their way back. Pepper moaned and slapped her head, complaining how tired she was and how Dapple's excitement wasn't helping at all. 

When they returned to the tower of their dorms, Pepper patted her shoulder and bent down so she was forced to look directly into Pepper's eyes. 

"Listen, kid, from this point on, we're allies. You don't even try to do nothing to me. Not a scratch, a punch, nothing." Her voice hardened. "If you even try, I'll blow your face off." She snapped her fingers similar to how she had done it before. "And in return, I'll try not to do any of those things to you!"

The fire-haired girl marched to dorm 304, thrust the key into the hole, and yanked open the door. She flashed Dapple one last smile before disappearing.

Dapple went to her respectable dorm, sitting on the bed. Pepper would be a good ally to have, she supposed. Not smart, but not dumb, either. Definitely loyal enough. Dapple sighed and took off her leather jacket, hanging it on the post of her bed. With a heavy sigh, she realized she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight.