Permafrost Academy

Chapter Nine

Dapple looked around behind her. Fleck was two steps behind her, and Ben was a step behind him. Pepper had reached the last step, waiting patiently for her to show her the flap. Dapple picked up the pace, worry throwing her on.

She nodded at Pepper and began to feel around with her fingertips. It was dark, since all lights from below were swamped by the mini-ocean. She felt her hand clasp against a handle and yanked it, hard. She heard a creak and the door swung open, revealing faint light from the stars and outdoor lighting.

Pepper didn't hesitate. She let out a battle cry and climbed out the door, holding her hand up for Dapple. 

Dapple waited until Fleck and Ben made it up. "Did the water rise?" She asked them. They had been keeping close account on how high the water had gotten. 

"No, it's about the same," Fleck replied, climbing out the flap. Dapple took up the rear, watching as Ben and Fleck carefully picked their way up. 

When she left the tower, she felt cool wind slap her face. The roof was made of a dark wood that splintered her fingers if she waited for too long or pressed her hands down too hard. It didn't provide wonderful grip for her feet, but she had the mindset that if this flap existed at all, someone had done this before and survived. 

Maybe.

Pepper made it up first. She sat on the top where there was a small square of wood jutting outwards. It was smooth in comparison to the rest of the roof. 

Dapple followed and swung her pack of little belongings up beside her. "It's not wonderful weather for a stay," she joked, trying to lighten the mood. Pepper glanced away, looking down the tower.

Dapple sat beside her, flinging her pack to the side and laying out her blanket.  She noticed Fleck and Ben followed nervously behind them, also laying out their blankets. 

She waited for an hour or two, doing nothing but reading from a book she found caught in the flood. It was a childish fantasy tale about two women who discovered they had unreal powers, but it would do for the time being. 

She became acutely aware of the deep, constant breathing from Pepper and Fleck. They were asleep. But...Ben wasn't. She flipped over, turning to him. 

"What's troubling you?" She asked, keeping her voice low. 

Ben blinked. "Nothing. The water, though. It's...it's out." 

"What do you mean, out?" Dapple asked, staring at him with a puzzled look in her eyes. 

Instead of answering, Ben crawled to the edge of the square, dodging Pepper and Fleck carefully. Dapple followed, about to voice her bewilderment, when Ben held a finger to his lips and pointed.

She glanced down and stifled a gasp. Ben was right. The water was out. It rose around ten feet outside the academy and then fell at the sheer, precise edge, without pooling or anything. It was as if the water was a solid. But it wasn't, Dapple realized. Waves roared at the walls. Lanterns and, to her horror, textbooks and clothes, bobbed among them. 

It was steadily approaching the top of the tower. It wasn't exactly close, but above halfway. Worry pierced her brain. Were they to be swallowed up by the strange water? She hugged her knees to her chest, heart pounding. 

"Dapple," Ben whispered, taking her by surprise. She glanced at him, and he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright. Just think, mom and dad are waiting for us at home."

Before she could stop them, tears slid down her face. "No, Ben!" She yelled, forgetting to stay quiet. "No, they aren't! Mom and dad don't care about us! They sent us here because of it!" She wiped her face with her sleeve, aware of how her voice was trembling. "This isn't a story where we're the protagonists, waiting to be freed and rejoin their family. This is a jail cell where we were turned in and framed by our own, trusted parents. And in those stories, the two little kids die, rotting in their prison thinking everything is a game!" 

She chose to ignore Ben's horrified expression. "But it's not! It's not a game! I don't know about you, but I don't want to go home! Here, I'm going to a real school. Here, I have friends. Here, maybe I'm trapped in a horrifying academy, but it's a magic academy. Here, life is different. At least I'm not afraid mom will throw us out, or dad will blow our savings betting on snail races! Something's happening, but at least it's not that." 

"Dapple, stop," Ben chided. "Stop. I know, I get it, I understand, but first of all, people are sleeping," he gestured at their friends. Neither Ben nor Dapple bothered to look. "Secondly, yeah, I know, sometimes thinking about your terrible family makes you want to loose it, but you shouldn't. You shouldn't lose it. You aren't doing anything but complaining!" 

Dapple laughed, wiping her face again. "Do you remember the story about Rapunzel?"

Ben opened his mouth, but she talked over him. 

"In Rapunzel, the girl with the long hair had a horrible mom and was trapped in a horrible tower. Isn't that kind of like us? We had a horrible mom, and now we're trapped in a tower."

"But," she continued. "In the end, Rapunzel escapes. Then, she goes on an epic adventure. It's dangerous, it's scary, but in the end, she realizes her real parents were the king and queen. They were sweet, kind people. She never had to see that horrible witch who locked her in the tower ever again, and she didn't have to live there, either."

"What if it turns out that's what happens to us?" She finished. 

She heard a slow clapping from behind her. She whipped around to see Pepper, smiling broadly, and Fleck, tilting his head and listening intently. The red-head fireball stood up, apparently unaware of her current height. 

"That was a nice story," she commented sarcastically. "I'd like it more if it involved a little bit less yelling, though, don't you think?"