Determined Samantha

by Kat Beyer

Everyone agreed later that no student had arrived with more mud on her, indeed, more pure ground-in grime, than Samantha MacKinnon—not even when Mirabelle Hayes and Bao-Yu Zheng met and fought a duel in a pigsty on the road to the Women’s Battle College, Isle of Skye.

She arrived ten days into St Brigid’s term, so, not only filthy but a term and ten days late, which was rather more of a problem.

Her excuse?

“I had to walk from the Sierras,” she explained.

“It’s probably true,” pointed out the Bursar.  “They ran out of super-refined twice this year.”

“Except that I gather it’s still difficult to walk across the Atlantic,” said the Treasurer.

They looked at Samantha, who glared back tiredly.

“Snuck onto a surplus ship,” she said.  “That got me to Up-Liverpool.  Walked here.”

She pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes and rubbed vigorously before adding, “Look, can you feed me now and decide about me later?  I’m so tired.”

She wanted to add, “And this whole journey I’ve been thinking, if only I can get there it will be okay, just like in the stories… it will be okay.  And having to knock out some guy so I could drive his motorcycle to the East Coast instead of giving him my virginity like he wanted, and having to steal every bite of food I’ve eaten, and having to run away from my stupid home with my stupid drunk dad, and having to fight about half the sailors on the ship, and having to beat up and run away from some guys who were obviously procurers, and having to clean every dirty toilet in an entire hotel so I could stay for a week and sleep, just sleep, all of it will make sense, because I’ll be where I know I’m supposed to be.  It will all be okay.”

Instead she just stood and looked at them, wearing three weeks worth of dirt and smelling like three weeks worth of sweat.

The Treasurer looked scandalized, but, as Samantha would learn, that was just her way.

The Bursar said, “Forgive us, dear.  I can tell it has been a terribly long journey.  Do come in,” adding to the Treasurer in a voice she knew perfectly well Samantha could hear, “Of course she can stay.  This is the sort of determination we’re looking for, after all.”