Chapter Text
It felt much colder than usual.
Black Swan Bay was a beautiful place. It was in the middle of a forest, close to the mountains, on top of cliffs. Everything veiled in white. The buildings looked old and cozy. Their brown color greatly contrasted the blue tones that dominated the scene, making everything look frozen. Next to them were the different playhouses and swings, along with some forgotten toys that slowly got buried under the snow. The air was always crisp and fresh. Soft laughter filled the air, like a breeze, with it snowflakes falling, twirling around in the air and clinging to everything they can. The sun illuminated the scenery, giving it a soft glow and making the snow sparkle. On that day, the cheering was even louder than usual. Sweet voices only got louder and louder. A clear excitement was heard, filling up every corner and crevice of the orphanage, becoming the soul of the place itself.
Yet inside the second largest building, not a single sound could be heard. Not even the crackling of the fireplace. She didn't feel like starting a fire, so she left it alone, as cold as everything else.
She wasn't crying, she never cried. She wasn't sad, sad wasn't the right word, she was only disappointed. She was crawled up in a ball, her back glued to the front of her desk with her head down. Her face was the same expression as always, a dull one, if not a little more pained. The excitement of the day before, even the annoying anxiety had gone away, leaving her empty.
Renata knew that she was there, Z too, but still, she didn't want them to see her. And she wanted to see no one. It was the perfect hiding spot. As she looked in front of her, she wished she could go to her bed. It looked comfortable and warm. Her room looked warm most of the time, when the fireplace was on, at least. It was rather messy, with posters everywhere, unfinished sketches and plans, three odd windows; one of them giving a nice view to the lighthouse while making the perfect spot for MC's strange plant, a prototype of a plane, multiple books scattered all over, some strange objects in odd spots like her guitar in a lone chair or one of the training robots she managed to get on the corner near her desk, where she started breaking him apart, trying to make something new with the pieces.
Still, she could hear them. Banging on the window above her. Yelling out words of comfort. Renata at least was. MC sighed. Now what? It was Christmas after all. She couldn't just mop around. Or maybe she could. Who would stop her? She was too embarrassed to step out. She had finished all of her duties the day before, in preparation for today. Even without Z's help, she found the firewood and even ran some small errands for Dr. Herzog. She had even packed her bags with all her clothes except for her uniform, her favorite books, and pictures of her friends, a few of herself.
She had been convinced that she would be chosen. That she would finally go to the capital. That she would be the strongest. She hadn't been cocky, but she was confident.
Anton was going to leave during the night. Maybe he would write a letter or two. But knowing him, he probably wouldn't. He had a breakthrough. Something MC never had. He became strong, just like that. In a second. Both of them worked hard, all of the orphans worked hard, but she was the one on the training fields after dark, the first one in the mornings. She didn't need to do the extra effort, still, she did it. And nothing came out of it. So she stayed in her room, ignoring the cold, and the two friends that she had.
There would always be next year, Dr. Herzong told her. And even if she never got chosen, she could just wait a few more years. When you turned 20, regardless of how strong you were, they would allow you to go to the capital. Only Amanda stayed for that long, though. She was the first-ever orphan that Black Swan took. That is why she was given an entire house to her own. It wasn't much of a house, only a really big room. Still, everyone wanted it. So, when she left, there was a huge competition on who would get it.
Dr. Herzog had to step in and announced that the strongest among them could have it. Renata had rushed into Z's room to tell him, but he didn't even give her the time to explain before kicking her out, saying he was tired. So, the competition began. MC ended up winning. It was expected, if not for the last round.
It was MC against Renata. They used to be evenly matched, but Renata had a breakthrough the week before, so it was hard to predict the winner. Renata almost won; she was completely crushing MC. MC only won because of the dirty trick she pulled. She, before Renata did the final move that was sure to knock her out, made a surprised expression and yelled: "Z, you came!" That made Renata look back and lose her footing, making her fall on her face. And so, MC won. When Z learned about it, he was more than pissed. Not only he was mad that he didn't win the house but also that MC had used him to cheat Renata.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
They were going to break the glass. They had tried the door, but MC locked it and put a chair blocking the handle. Z kept slamming on the window like a madman. Renata would usually try to stop him, but she agreed with him this time and knocked on it too.
With all that knocking, banging, and smashing, the desk started to shake, hitting MC's back uncomfortably. And something fell to her side. A chocolate bar. Vera's chocolate bar. Well not yet, she still hadn't received it. MC looked at it long and hard. Chocolate was rare in Black Swan Bay. And Vera liked sweets. A ship, the Lenin, came every Christmas, with new stock, medicine, gifts, weapons, and on occasion, a few special requests from the orphans. So, MC decided to ask Dr. Herzog to bring back some chocolate from the capital and he agreed. He rarely said no to her. He gave the chocolate to her in the morning, before the test along with some words of encouragement.
MC had to give the chocolate to Vera. She had also promised Vera to dance with her. MC might have been a pathetic loser, but she was a woman of her word.
Also, it seemed that Renata and Z suddenly got into an intense argument that had nothing to do with the situation at hand, she had to stop them before it got violent or she ended up losing her hearing.
Although reluctantly, she got up. She walked to the door, putting the chair back in its place, and went outside.
"Well look who finally came out! I thought you died you know. You made me worry, Doll," said a grinning Z.
"Weren't you tired? Isn't that why you didn't show up this morning for the examination?" MC replied, not giving him even a glance.
"If I had gone there, I would have left for the Capital, unlike someone I know, and you know that I wouldn't want to leave you guys behind."
A loud slap was heard, and that made MC turn around.
"Don't provoke her you asshole, don't even pretend that you care about us. The reality is that you're too lazy to do anything!" Renata yelled. She had hit him in the back of the head and was now furiously walking up to MC.
"That guy, really, thinks he's all that!" As she talked, she pouted her lips and puffed her cheeks. She looked like a squirrel. It was cute.
"Anyways, don't feel bad, It's not the end of the world-"
"You almost got hurt. Because I didn't move out of the way, you stepped in. You saved me, sure, but that robot almost crushed you while doing so. Anton really surprised me with that one. Never knew he could do that; I think he didn't know he could either. I'm weak Renata. Z's stronger than me, you're stronger than me, Anton's stronger than me now, hell, Vera might win against me in a fight if things keep going like this. My real problem is that this was my chance. I'm 18 now, and you will be too next year. You will then be allowed to take part in the examination. And I don't want you to lose. But I don't want to lose either." MC said with frustration.
"And," MC added, "What if Z decides to get off his ass and participate? He's been putting it off for two years now. Dr. Herzog hasn't said anything yet but soon he will. Plus knowing Z, he would probably just join to piss both of us off and have us wait yet another year. Why are we friends with him again?"
Renata said nothing, instead, she walked up close to the border of the cliff. The cliff allowed a magnificent view of the ocean. It was the same color of her eyes, all though a bit darker. Her short blonde hair swayed in the wind as she sat down on a boulder and signaled MC over, the falling snowflakes sticking to her skin, matching in color.
"Doll, you are much stronger than you think you are. I think, no, I'm sure that you're stronger than me. You just need to breakthrough just once, and I think you could even put up a fight with Z."
"I don't think so. He's way too insufferable. I would just die of annoyance before ever fighting with him. " MC murmured as she sat down next to her friend.
Renata broke into an intoxicating laugh, and MC slightly grinned. She wasn't one to cry, so she didn't laugh that much either. She usually wore the same face. A drab one.
The two friends sat there in silence, staring at the distant orange and pink sky and at the giant whale that always swam nearby.
"What do you think the other side of the ocean looks like? People on the other side are probably wondering the same thing," Renata asked quietly.
Suddenly the whale jumped out of the water, bright blue lines covering its skin, only to dive back in with an immense slash that rivaled its size.
"Do you remember when you saw it for the first time? You said you wanted to swim freely in the ocean like that! If that day ever comes," she said while standing up, "I hope I will still stay at your side.
We should go back, it's getting late, and I don't want to miss the lights."
"Yes, we should."
Only her could ever get MC to smile like that, with an open grin showcasing her teeth. Even if it barely lasted a second, unnoticed by most people, only caught by those who were looking.
Only her.
Only Renata.