two

Aberystwyth (or just Aber to the locals) sat halfway up the west coast of Wales. A small town by British standards, it was still one of the largest towns in Mid-Wales. During the summer its economy thrived when the tourists flocked in to soak up the seaside sun. But in winter the whole coast took a severe buffeting from the winds that blew in across the Irish Sea. Not even the bravest tourists dared venture anywhere near. Instead, Aber survived because of its university college, the oldest of the constituent colleges of the University of Wales and the home to the National Library of Wales.

Unlike the big city universities, UW Aberystwyth dominated the town. Over half of the population relied on it for employment or business links. When the student body was in residence, it was the largest single population group. The main campus sat at the top of Penglias Hill, just above the historic and imposing Library of Wales, about a mile from the seafront. At the north end of the seafront, Constitution Hill sported a little used funicular railway. To the south the River Ystwyth flowed into the harbour. A single railway line ran east to the Midlands, via Shrewsbury, and there was a lone coach service that went north to Bangor, and south to Cardiff and Swansea. The nearest pocket of civilisation was at least two hours away.

In addition to the main campus, the university owned several buildings in the town centre, the most important being the Old College. It housed most of the university's administration and was built on the site of the original university, at the southern end of the promenade and close to the ruins of Aberystwyth Castle. The Old College retained a gothic feel, with imposing archways and detailed carvings. It was the symbolic beating heart of the university and of the town.

It was a cold morning in late September. The arrival of the freshers, and their induction into university life was an annual ritual. Every year the authorities insisted that everyone arrive before midday. The result was barley-organised chaos. Cars parked everywhere, trying to get near the halls of residence on campus and along the seafront so the freshers could unload their belongings into their new homes.

Dylan had got up at seven and driven his Mini up the coast from Swansea. His parents had followed. Both cars were loaded with clothes, electrical equipment, and study materials. Freshers were guaranteed a place in halls should they wish it, and Dylan had a room in 'Davies Bryan', one of the five halls that made up Penbryn Hall.

Penbryn Hall consisted of three old buildings connected by covered walkways and three separate, newer buildings. Davies Bryan was one of the older buildings, a four story rectangular box, devoid of any notable architectural features. The walkways that connected it to Alban Davies and Rendell were in the basement, along with a computer terminal room, telephone booth, and communal television room. The two separate buildings were Thomas Charles Edwards and Ifor Evans. Each of the halls claimed their own unique atmosphere, generated by their layout, size and, most importantly, their residents. Rendall only accommodated girls, but that didn't mean there was any less of a rivalry between its residents and the other halls as there was between the residents of AD, IF, DB and TCE.

Someone in a bright yellow T-shirt with the words "DB Committee" emblazoned across it, directed Dylan to a parking space. As he got out of his car, the same man greeted him.

"Hi. I'm Jez, treasurer of the DB student committee. Which hall are you staying in?"

"Davies Bryan. I'm guessing that's what DB stands for."

"That's right. Follow me, we'll go and see which room you're in."

Jez led Dylan into the hall and up some stairs. Another member of the committee was looking after all the room keys. Jez waited while Dylan introduced himself and collected his key, and then showed him to his room. It was on the ground floor, which suited Dylan. Inside there was a bed, desk, large comfortable-looking chair and bedside table. There was also a basin with a mirror above it, and a wardrobe. A brown rug lay in the centre of the tiled floor.

Dylan's mum stayed in the room while Dylan and his dad went back to the cars and unloaded them. Meantime, she unpacked his suitcases, hung the clothes in the wardrobe, and put books on the shelves above the desk. It took a while, and when they were finished, they decided to go into town and get something to eat.

By the time that Dylan got back to the hall and had waved goodbye to his parents, most of the rooms on his floor had occupants. Dylan decided to make himself a drink and went to the kitchen in the centre of the floor. There was already someone there, waiting for the kettle to boil.

"Hi, I'm Dylan."

"Dave."

The pair shook hands.

"You a local?" Dave asked.

"No, I'm from Swansea."

"Sorry. Guess my ears aren't attuned to the subtleties of the Welsh accent."

"Don't worry about it. You're from Birmingham?"

"Near enough."

They both laughed nervously and lapsed into silence while they waited for the kettle.

"This thing is rubbish," Dave said. "It's probably the cheapest one they could find. What you here for, by the way?"

"Me? Physics."

"Hey, me too. How about that? The first person I speak to, and you're on the same course."

"That's too freaky," said Dylan. "We should go to lectures together."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

Another of DB's new residents joined them and after more introductions and even more small talk, it was three O'clock.

"God, look at the time," said Dave. "We ought to go down for the warden's talk."

"Do you know where it is?" asked Dylan.

"I saw a sign somewhere down in the basement that pointed the way," said the dark haired lad who had joined them. His name was Frank, a law student from Newport.

"Looks like you're leading the way then," said Dave.

They left the kitchen and made their way to one of the stairwells. Each of the four floors of DB consisted of a single corridor with heavy fire doors separating the central kitchen from the living areas. Either side of the kitchen was a bathroom and opposite the bathrooms were the stairwells to the other floors. One of these also led to the outside world. Dylan's room was on the half of the corridor with the entrance stairwell. Dave's room was on the other half.

As the three approached the stairwell, two men came out of the rooms either side of Dylan's. One was tall, with cropped blonde hair. The other was shorter with long, wavy, brown hair.

"Do any of you know where the warden's giving his talk?" asked the taller one.

"He does!" Dave and Dylan said, pointing at Frank.

"Only vaguely," said Frank. "I spotted some sign pointing the way downstairs."

"Great," said the shorter one. "Mind if we tag along."

The group followed the signs on the wall to a large room with chairs laid out in rows. Many of the chairs were occupied, but there were five empty seats in the front row, enough for the boys to sit together. While they were waiting for the talk to begin, Dylan found out a bit more about the two newcomers. The taller one was Richard Colley. He had turned nineteen just a week before, originated from Bolton, and spoke with a very broad accent. Andy Williams, the long-haired one, was from the outskirts of South London, and had an accent too.

The warden was a tall man, grey haired but no more than forty years old. He was wearing a shirt and tie with a pair of faded blue Levi's. He spoke slowly, with a broad Welsh accent. "Good afternoon everyone, and on behalf of the University I'd like to welcome you to Aberystwyth, and specifically to Neuadd Penbryn Hall. For those non-Welsh speakers among you 'neuadd' just means 'hall'. It's university policy that everything has to be bilingual, with the Welsh first and English second. Don't worry though; I'm sure you'll get used to it."

He paused for breath. "You are all staying in Davies Bryan, which is one of the five halls that make up Penbryn. This is your hall committee." He gestured to the group of people behind him. "They will look after you and help you settle in over the next few weeks. Their main job is to provide you with an entertainment schedule, but if you have any problems you should go to them in the first instance.

"Your first week or so here in Aber will prove to be pretty hectic. You have to register for your course, and then find out where all your lectures, seminars and so forth are going to be. On top of that, there is a whole week of activities planned by the Guild of Students, which you're not only entitled to join, but are actively encouraged to join. I believe that tonight there is a disco to get things started, but I'm sure these fine people will fill you in and make sure you don't miss anything.

"We are fairly relaxed here in Penbryn, but we do expect a certain standard of behaviour. Nothing that you wouldn't be expected to maintain at any rented accommodation. If there are any problems, you'll be dealing with me, so don't take it the wrong way if I say that I hope this is the last time I have to lecture you.

"One thing we do ask is that after midnight all males leave the accommodation areas of Rendell hall, which as you may know is a female only hall. Boys, if you are found hanging around Rendell after that time you will almost certainly be dismissed from the hall. Having said that, we don't go around at midnight checking every room to make sure you're not there, so don't worry if you meet the love of your life and she happens to live in Rendell."

The Warden then went on to introduce the hall committee. The chair was Phil James. He had a few words to say.

"Welcome, again, to Aber and to DB. We've got a few activities planned for you this week, mostly revolving around getting to know where to go in town and on campus to enjoy yourself. Of course, by enjoy yourself, I mean get pissed."

Most of the room chuckled at this comment. "Registration is on Monday, then on Tuesday there is a fair for the various clubs you can join if you're that way inclined. Personally, the only club I joined last year was the Student Debt Association, for which you just need a big overdraft to qualify."