The Long Winter #1
Debut issue: Orientation part one
It was stormy when Penny Stark arrived at the Gravenreuth Institute, and dark. Lights shimmered off trees wet with rain grouped across the landscaped institute grounds, partially obscuring the buildings in their midst. The driver of the big, black Lincoln Navigator drove up to the circular driveway before the dormitory, and then fetched her bag before opening her door and leading her inside. Aspen Hall, the dormitory, was fronted by a grand glass wall with stylish wood trim. It housed the common area, an atrium that leaped up several stories to a vaulted ceiling. Grand curving staircases with finely carved walnut railings went up either side of the room, the one on the left leading to the girls’ wing, the right to the boys’. Between them was a hearth spanning the length of the room, and a small hickory fire burned in the grand fireplace. Under the boys’ staircase was a hall that led to the dining hall, another glass-walled room with sweeping views of Lake Superior, but Penny did not get to see that yet. Her bag went ahead of her and she gathered with several other students around two others, a cute blonde girl she thought she recognized in leggings and an oversized, belly-baring cut-off sweatshirt and an ugly boy showing off his huge muscles in a too-small tank top, playing foosball at one of the many gaming tables scattered amidst the sofas in the common area. A huge, wall-mounted TV on mute showed nature scenes of faraway places. Penny recognized one of the waterfalls from her home country, the island nation of Port Matthew, and her heart fluttered in delight.
How wonderful! This must be a sign. I’m going to have an amazing time here! she thought.
This place was on my short list of places to attend when I was still alive, Marv’s ghost answered in her head. He had been taken from her and her friends more than a year ago, and she and his best friend Taro got through the grief by talking to their own thoughts dressed in his voice. Now it was simply a habit she could not stop.
She turned her attention to her new classmates. A fair-haired boy with an easygoing smile was speaking.
“…know a guy in town who’s probably the best foosball player I’ve ever seen. If this was an Olympic sport I’ll bet he could make the team.”
“You know, Clark, I should talk to my dad about that,” another boy said. He had impeccable dark hair and wore perfectly-fit, stylish clothes that made Penny feel positively frumpy in her sunshine-y yellow sundress. The stylish boy continued in a condescending voice that matched his stylish appearance. “He’s got a buddy on the IOC. If they can make ping pong and walking Olympic sports, they ought to be able to add foosball.”
“Shit, curling’s a sport, too,” added another boy, this one with disheveled hair and a neon green track suit.
“If you’re serious, that’s awesome,” the boy called Clark said, watching the girl score her first goal of the game, cutting the ugly muscle-man’s lead to 5. She glanced up and smiled at Penny.
“Oh, I’m so glad to see I won’t be the only donut at this sausage party!”
The boys laughed. Penny giggled, too, but what about them made them made them donuts?
“Sausages are dicks,” the stylish boy said, casting half a glance in her direction. He trained his eyes on the foosball. “You can probably guess what donuts are from that clue.” More laughter.
“Yes, that makes sense now, and it is a little funny.”
“Oh shit, you’re a Mexican!” Another boy joined them, arriving crotch-first behind Penny. She yelped and tried to jump out of the way, but he laughed a high-pitched hyena cackle and put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her uncomfortably close to his “sausage.” “I got bedding that needs turning down every morning, and laundry to do! Stay at my place tonight and you’ll have easy access to it all!”
“I’m not Mexican!”
“Oh, a muy caliente spicy taco-burrito Latin-x babe! Mi Conchita, por favor suck-y my dick-y!” And then he laughed and bounded away, two other white shirt and dockers clad boys waiting for him near the steps to the boys’ wing. They laughed with him about “that muy caliente spicy Mexican babe” as they leaped up to the boys’ wing.
The boys and girl around the foosball table were all staring at her. She had to swallow the lump in her throat and fought to keep her eyes tear-free, and only a moment later she was able to wrestle a fake smile on her face.
“What a jerk! I’m obviously not Mexican.”
The ugly boy with the muscles frowned at her.
“What are you, then? Honduran? Venezuelan? I feel like I’ve seen you before…”
“Yeah, now that he mentions it, you do look familiar,” another boy added, pouring his brown eyes down her body. She shuddered and stepped away.
“I, like, should go unpack. I just got here.”
“Oh, where’s your room?” the girl asked.
“Room 12.”
“That’s mine, too! I should have recognized you! I’ll go help you! I want to see if you have any other cute dresses in your suitcase!”
“I’ll help too—”
“No, Clark, this is a girl’s thing. You can go ahead an hone your foosball skills.” She smiled at the ugly boy. “Loren, keep the table warm for me?”
“Of course. Bye, Maddie.”
There was a round of “bye Maddies” and then she was leading Penny up to their room.
“You’re supposed to go talk to Miss Paula, she’s like, the girls’ wing’s RA or whatever, when you get here. We can find her later, though. I’m so pleased to meet you, you are even more gorgeous than your pictures online, not that I was stalking you or anything, but you know, I did want to see more of what you look like other than the school picture you sent me.”
“I was overwhelmed by all the pictures you provided,” Penny said, remembering scrolling through Madison Carter’s various online pages at shot after glamorous shot of the leggy blonde posing on remote tropical beaches, driving Land Cruisers across the Serengeti, browsing thoughtfully through shops in every big city in Europe, climbing mountains in Nepal, all sorts of exotic locales, at the last of which she sported a giant diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand, but somehow they all seemed a dim reflection of this girl with a disposition so sunny and warm the thunder and lightning and 50F temperatures outside faded into a whole different dimension.
“Well, I scoured the internet for you. You’re barely anywhere, you know that?” She glanced over their shoulders as they walked down the hall towards their room. “Why did those boys think you look familiar?” She turned back towards Penny, her smile turning naughty. “Do you have an extra income stream or something? There were, of course, some sites I didn’t check!”
Penny laughed, because if she did not laugh she would shriek in a far too defensive manner.
“Of course not, Maddie,” Penny said. “I got a scholarship to be here, and if I end up wanting a car my parents said they will help me buy one.”
“Oh, how nice! I don’t even have a license.”
“How did you get around?”
“In the back seat of my bodyguard’s S-Class.”
“Bodyguard? Is he here?”
“No. Gravenreuth provides its own heavily-arm security. They get training from the Port Matthew Power Unit. Even you should feel safe here!”
Penny nodded. Maddie led her down the sumptuously carpeted hall to their room. Penny’s suitcase and shoulder bag were sitting outside it. A woman with her dark hair in a French twist and no laughter in her brown eyes approached from the other end. Maddie laughed anxiously and greeted the woman in her serious pencil skirt.
“Oh, hi Miss Paula. I was just telling Penny that she was supposed to see you.”
“And despite this, you decided to circumvent procedure on your first day.” Miss Paula surprised the two girls with a mischievous smile. “Either way, we need to get Penny Stark checked in. Now is as good a time as any. We won’t be getting any more new arrivals until tomorrow morning.”
And they went through the check in. Miss Paula provided Penny with a physical copy of both the Institute’s and Harden University’s student handbooks, both on heavy, brochure-like glossy paper in square-bound binding. She explained some of the rules (“no boys overnight, no staying overnight in the boys’ wing, no alcohol, no trips off-campus without a driver or at least notifying security”) and showed them into the suite. The door opened to a view of Lake Superior through the big picture windows on the far wall, gloomy under the evening storm. There was a kitchenette behind a small breakfast bar, a sofa, two plush chairs, and two thin TVs on brackets mounted to the walls on either side of the room. Potted plants were here and there, and two welcoming bouquets of fragrant flowers stood on the window sill. The door on the right led to Maddie’s bedroom.
“I hope you don’t mind I chose first. My father would kill me if I immediately went to the left as soon as I got to college!”
They shared a laugh and Miss Paula took Penny and her bags to her room. It had more big windows looking at the lake, a four-poster bed with a plush mattress, and a door leading to a tile bathroom with a fancy glass-enclosed shower.
“No bathtub, neh?” Penny cast a baleful look at the Residence Director.
“Juniors and seniors have full baths,” Miss Paula said. “Some students have off-campus housing by that point, but others remain here to take advantage of the campus security and meals.”
“Meals, that’s right,” Penny said. “I am hungry. Is it okay to have a late dinner?”
“You don’t want to unpack yet?” Maddie asked, her eyes shining as she scanned Penny’s bags.
“No, I’ll have more fun if I’m not hungry.”
“The dining hall is open until midnight,” Miss Paula said. “The pantry is open all night. The handbook details the process if you need an early-morning snack in the event you have been up studying.”
Penny nodded. Miss Paula gave Penny her key card and her contact information and bid them a good night and left. Maddie led her from the room.
“So what’s it like, coming here from a place like Port Matthew?”
“Well, I’m glad you don’t think I’m Mexican.”
“What an idiot, of course Braden Garies would think you’re Mexican.”
“You know who he is?”
“Some clown, his dad’s a senator so he undoubtedly thinks he can get away with whatever he wants. Joke’s on him, though, if he keeps this up he’ll be expelled before Halloween.”
“Well, so long as someone else gets him expelled. I don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
“Be glad you’re not in the law school,” Maddie said, slouching slightly as they descended the steps. The foosball game had dissipated and no one was there to greet them.
“I hope he won’t be so offensive to you, too.”
“That’s a nice thing to say, Penny. You must be a nice girl. I’ll have to remind myself not to take advantage of your niceness this year!”
Maddie laughed and Penny laughed with her. Was Maddie being too honest or was she merely sarcastic? Penny had no time to ponder this before they entered the vast dining hall. There was room for the entirety of the student body housed in the dormitory on solid oak tables spread across the room. The far wall was glass up to the vaulted roof, mirroring the common area, and a deck outside stretched the length of it with yet more tables. There were strings of LEDs hung above the deck, but no one was outside to enjoy them with the wind and the rain pelting the windows. The roommates scanned the room and then Maddie shouted and waved at one of the boys from the foosball table.
“Clark!”
“Hi Maddie.” The fair-haired boy stood and greeted the pair with an easy smile.
“Clark, this is my roommate Penny. She’s most definitely not from Mexico.”
“Or anywhere else down there,” Penny added quickly, earning a laugh from this easy-going boy. They sat down and a waitress brought them water.
“Only an idiot would think you’re from Mexico,” Clark said with a certain amount of disdain. “Roger told me you were from Port Matthew.”
“Which one was Roger?” Penny asked.
“The dude in the shawl.”
“It was a stole, and it was very stylish!” Maddie laughed and hit Clark’s shoulder with her left hand. Penny’s eyes were drawn by the shimmer of the grape-sized diamond and she wondered why the blonde girl was flirting with this Clark fellow.
“Whatever.” Clark’s attention was on Penny. “Rog says PMers only travel with Best Defense security. Are there any chances I’ll get to see Victory?”
“No, no Victory,” Penny said, picturing the beautiful blonde Defender’s short skirt and long legs. Of course Clark would be most interested in her as opposed to Eikyou in her spooky hood or Cosmette frozen at 14 years old forever in her shiny metallic skin.
“That’s a damn shame.” He cast his easygoing smile at Maddie. “It would be sweet to see one of The Best Defense.” Then he frowned at Penny. “But is Rog lying to me? You guys don’t all travel with Best Defense security?”
“Why would I need security? I’m no one famous.”
“Yeah, but you’re here at Gravenreuth. Everyone here is Hollywood.”
“I’m not Hollywood,” Maddie said.
“Your dad’s rich as fuck, my mom’s Hollywood, Rog is heir to some sort of oil or investment fortune, it wasn’t really clear and his mom’s a supermodel. Everyone up here is like that.” The tension drained from his shoulders as he recognized the confusion in Penny’s eyes. “But if you’re just some normal chick, maybe that means I won’t be the only normal person here.”
“But you just said your mom’s Hollywood,” Maddie said, stealing the words right off Penny’s lips.
“We’ll talk about my tragic origin later.” He leaned over the table. “So have you ever met The Best Defense?”
Penny glanced at Maddie. Maddie leered at her. Penny sighed.
“Yes. Do I need to tell you my tragic origin on an empty stomach?”
“You can’t just say you’ve met The Best Defense and then shut your fuckin’ mouth. That would be most uncool.”
“Do you know about Morning Light? Her attack in the spring?”
“Sure. Everyone heard about that.”
“It was my school where she died.”
“Morning Light attacked your school?” Maddie’s eyes were saucers. “And you met The Best Defense then?”
Penny knew she could not talk about her best friend Kari Sawada, about how Kari had married Taro, her high school sweetheart, and then moved to Defenders’ Tower to become one of them. It was bound to come out at some point, Kari would eventually be making her public debut with Port Matthew’s most high-profile people, but until then, there was nothing Penny could say but—
“They helped everyone there. They saved as many of us as they could. No one knows why Morning Light went crazy. I mean, she used to be one of them! To attack the new roster?” Penny shrugged and smiled. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll know someday, but—”
“But for now, they know but they aren’t saying,” Maddie said. “Wow, you got saved by The Best Defense. I know I’m probably not supposed to be impressed by that, but I am! Maybe they’ll show up here to save you, too!”
“Yeah, and hopefully it’ll be Victory,” Clark said, earning a look of smoldering disappointment from Maddie. “Anyway, it’s great you weren’t hurt or whatever, and now you’re here and we get to become friends.”
“How do you know we’ll become friends?”
“You’re Maddie’s roommate, right? And you’ll become her friend, and any friend of Maddie’s is a friend of mine.”
Roger sat down beside Penny as waitresses brought appetizers. Roger signalled his desire for one and then looked at Penny.
“I knew you were connected,” he said. “You know, the whole campus, including the University, can hear you talking about your beloved Defenders.”
“Beloved? Just because they’re Port Matthew’s biggest heroes—”
“It’s fine. I’ve met them before, too. They are fine people, and should be lauded for the work they do when they’re abroad, unlike Alexandra Trueheart and her ilk.”
“What’s wrong with Trueheart?” Clark asked.
“If you ever have the misfortune to have her work her magic on you, you’ll understand.” Roger glanced back at Penny as she poked at her appetizer. “I’ve met Juliet, too.”
“The former Defender? How did you meet her?” Maddie asked as Penny looked on.
“I met them both while I was looking for a way to pick up some magical ability.”
He sighed and ate some of his food when it appeared. The dining hall was taking on a bit of a din behind them as it filled with more and more students. Waitresses were flitting here and there, wearing black slacks and white shirts and navy blue aprons reflecting the Institute’s and University’s shared colors, all very form-fitting and flattering on them. Penny’s eyes followed the backside of one with blue-black hair as she left their table. Roger ate another bite and continued.
“They were the only two I’ve ever met who had any more ability than some illusion-casting. Most illusionists are in Hollywood these days.” He smiled at Clark. “I’m probably only one degree of separation from your mom through them.” His face went sober again and he addressed Penny. “If you have the ability to meet Juliet I’d take it. She’s charming, but she made it clear she felt she was too old for me, not that I’d have minded. Trueheart was more of an acquired taste. I didn’t give myself time to acquire it before I moved on. So I’m no longer pursuing magic, which is good, since neither Gravenreuth nor Harden have a magic department. What are you here for?” Roger glanced around.
“Law,” Maddie said.
“Drama and foreign languages,” Clark said.
“Which ones?” Maddie was quick to ask.
“All of ‘em.” Clark’s grin was pure as the fresh driven snow and Penny giggled at him before answering.
“Robotics.”
They looked at Roger.
“Medicine, emphasis on sports.”
They nodded and exchanged some information about the programs. Gravenreuth apparently had the country’s top pre-med school, and Harden had surpassed the bigger coastal schools a decade prior.
“It helps when you can tell the difference between a man and a woman,” Roger said.
Maddie’s choice of law was bolstered by her desire to continue traveling. There was an international path she was particularly keen on and planned to take some foreign languages while she was there, too.
“Which ones?” Clark asked.
“All of them!”
Clark’s mother allowed him to choose his school and was picking up the bill. She had friends at most of the country’s (actually, most of the world’s) top drama schools, but this was one both closest to home and the most expensive.
“I am definitely taking advantage of what passes for her kindness!”
And then there was Penny, there on a scholarship (as was Roger and, she would learn, most of her classmates) and had chosen robotics only partially because of her interest in the topic.
“Professor Fairchild, she’s the department head, she’s a family friend. I don’t think my parents would have let me go abroad without that being the case.”
“Ah, the ties that bind,” Roger said with appropriate gravitas.
They finished their meals and retired to their rooms. Once they were back in their suite, Maddie followed Penny into her room and they began the unpacking process. Maddie held up every dress she pulled out, they were cute, they were adorable, this color would look amazing on Penny, oh, and this would—well, Penny would simply have to let Maddie borrow it. They were practically the same size!
“So long as you don’t compare our busts!” Maddie laughed at Penny.
Penny glanced down at her chest and then stared at Maddie’s, which was quite a bit more impressive. Maddie snickered at her and Penny’s eyes snapped back up to meet Maddie’s. She had that awful smile from earlier back on her face.
“You didn’t tell them boys you were gay.”
Penny frowned at her. “It never came up.”
Maddie chuckled. “It seems like an important thing to mention, you know. You told me in that first email exchange.
“I figured that, you know, as another girl, you’d want to know if you were sharing a living space with a lesbian. I don’t see why it would be important otherwise.”
“How could you not? I mean, it seems like it should be a big part of your identity or whatever.”
“That’s hardly true. If my sexuality is the most important part of who I am, that would make me a pretty boring person.”
Maddie’s expression turned thoughtful and she wandered over to the window and peered out into the darkness. Lightning flashed in the distance, far out over the lake, but otherwise the wind held no rain. She turned back around and leaned against the sill and smiled again.
“Okay. That’s a good point. A relief to hear, really. I’d hate to have to fend off the advances of a girl with ties to The Best Defense. You must be a real tough chickie, and look at your arms, you must work out.”
Penny held her arms out and looked at them. Toned, for sure, but was she tough? She did not think so. She sighed.
“I don’t know. You were the soccer player, and you said you got all the red cards. I’m just a nerd who reads too much.”
“Reads too much and spends all her free time in the gym. Are you exercising tomorrow?”
“I was planning on figuring out my schedule after orientation.”
“Well, if it works out I’ll join you. I guess I’ll have to see what my workload will be like, too. Given this place’s reputation, we probably won’t have much time left for anything but studying.”
“Good. That’s what I came here for!”
“Spoken like a true nerd!”
They laughed together and then Maddie drew Penny to her closet to show off her wardrobe. Many dresses and blouses and skirts and leggings later, Penny fell to her bed behind her closed door and sent a message to Kari. She had made it. Everything seemed normal. She just hoped that as she went to school and went to the gym, everything would stay that way.