I’m not sure which lie he’s alluding to, and I get the sense that might be the point—to make me nervous about all of them. I get up. “Can I go?”

He nods and I don’t hesitate. The moment his door closes behind me, I shudder. They actually think I did it. And the truth is, even I think I look like a suspect. I had a reason to get back at Matteo, I was out that night, and a guard saw me coming from the hallway where Stefano’s body was discovered. Ash warned me I might take the fall. But somehow I never expected that I would get punished for something I didn’t do.

I head full-speed away from Conner’s office, and almost walk smack into Aarya.

“November!” she says in a bright tone. “Just the girl I wanted to see. I hear you’re missing something.”

I take a good look at her. If she’s in a happy mood, it can’t mean anything good. “Besides losing my patience if you don’t move, I’m not missing a thing,” I say, stepping to the side to go around her. But she steps with me, blocking my path.

“Oh, I think you might be. It’s a little something, but it says a lot.” She’s using her American accent again.

“Either spit it out, Aarya, or get out of my way,” I say, not in the mood for her games.

“Mrrrow.” She curls her fingers at me like a cat. “Someone’s testy today. I take it your meeting with Dr. Conner didn’t go well? Tough luck. I bet mine will, though. I think he’ll be very interested to know I found one of your hairs in my room this morning.”

I laugh to cover the stomach-sinking horror I’m feeling. “You’re really obsessed with me, aren’t you, Aarya? Don’t get me wrong, I’m flattered. But analyzing some hair you found is going a little too far, don’t you think?” I scan my memory of the moments I was in her room. Did I touch my hair? I guess I could have knocked one loose. Or maybe it was on my cloak and dropped off.

“There’s good news and bad news, Ember. Can I call you that?”

“No.”

“The good news is that I wasn’t actually sure the hair was yours. The bad news is that you just convinced me that it is. I’m shocked”—she makes a dramatic display of widening her eyes and touching her heart—“that Ash and Layla didn’t teach you how to sneak around properly. I was sure we had higher standards at this school. But I guess we’re slipping, letting any old body in this place.” She sighs.

I step around her, and this time she lets me pass.