Aarya scoffs, but neither she nor Ash seems tense. Felix and I, on the other hand, radiate nervous energy.

“Why don’t we ask November what she wants to do? Eh?” Aarya says, and looks at me. “Would you rather walk these isolated halls with this smooth-talking thief, who will be assessing your every move, or stay here and eat and laugh with us?”

“Oh, Aarya, you’re not still sulking over losing your knife, are you?” Ash says, and a chill runs down my spine. The nicer his tone, the more intense he sounds.

Aarya stands up so fast that her chair screeches backward. “Oh, Ashai,” she says slowly, “how is that studious twin of yours—so scheduled, so predictable? If there is one person I can always find, it’s that darling Layla.” She uses a perfect Egyptian accent, and I can see the threat in her eyes.

I put my white cloth napkin on the table. “And you know who’s always with Layla? Me. Her roommate. The one who can get into this school after the cutoff age, midsemester. Wonder what else I can do that you all can’t.”

I move to push my chair away from the table, but Felix grabs it and pulls it out for me, jerking me backward. He whispers near my ear, “I know.”

My heart pounds. “Excuse me?”

But Felix acts like he didn’t say a word.

I start to walk away, but Ash stops me.

“Check your pockets, November,” Ash says, and I do.

I pull a salad fork from my cloak pocket. I don’t know what it means, but I get the feeling it’s nothing good. Ash takes it from my hand and tosses it onto the table with a clang.

Aarya blows me a kiss.

I turn away from them and follow Ash out of the cafeteria, deeply regretting the fact that I didn’t listen to Layla in the first place. The moment the door closes behind us, I start talking. “What the hell was that?”

“It’s against the rules to take anything from the dining hall, especially silverware that could be used as a weapon,” Ash says, and gives me a pointed look. “The kitchen staff counts it after every meal. A missing fork would trigger a search.”

“But when—”

“When Felix pulled out your chair,” Ash replies before I can finish the question.

“So they set me up?”

Ash watches me process the information, and it suddenly occurs to me that I’m alone with him.

I look both ways down the hall. “Isn’t Layla coming?”

“No. She’s finishing her meal.”

“Shouldn’t we…,” I start. “Didn’t she want to be the one to show me around?”

Ash smiles and I reflexively take a step back toward the cafeteria. “You just chose to sit with Aarya when she told you not to.”

“Maybe we…” I can’t think of any reason not to go with him.

“Layla is a very capable girl,” he says with an emphasis on capable, and I’m not sure if he’s telling me not to worry about Aarya’s threat or that it wasn’t my place to stand up for Layla.