Jaya walked quickly through the common room, noting in passing the smell of cooking popcorn, down the hallway with the dorm rooms, passing other students and smiling at them, though her mouth was rather dry. She clutched her book to her chest.

Perhaps Caterina wanted to apologize to Jaya. Well, maybe not to apologize—she doubted Caterina ever apologized for anything—but certainly to smooth things over. Maybe she’d thought about it and realized Jaya was only doing what any reasonable person would—that Caterina had put her in an uncomfortable position, asking her to rat on Daph. They’d talk about it, Jaya would say bygones were bygones, and that would be it.

She took a deep breath, smoothed down her sweater, and knocked on Caterina’s door.

“Come in!”

Jaya turned the doorknob, walked in, and stopped, staring.

Caterina, dressed in a plum-colored sweaterdress and tan boots, sat at her desk. On the screen of the laptop in front of her were two familiar faces. “Jaya,” Caterina said, smiling her most lovely, most carved-from-ice smile. “I believe you know my friends Sri Devi and Kiran? We were just catching up on Skype.”

Sri Devi Nair, the daughter of one of the royal families in Kerala, the one Caterina had brought up again in Aspen. And Kiran Hegde, who naturally, Jaya knew well. Quite well. “What…,” Jaya began, not knowing what she was going to say. Her pulse hammered in her temples; her palms were suddenly very damp.

“Hi, Jaya,” Sri Devi said while Kiran watched Jaya, unsmiling.

“H-hi,” Jaya said, feeling more discombobulated than she had in her entire life. What would Amma do in a situation like this? She walked closer to the screen, to Caterina. “How are you, Sri Devi?”

“I’m well!” Sri Devi said. “Caterina was just telling us how well you’re fitting in there. Sounds like you’ve met lots of interesting people.”

Jaya swallowed. Had Caterina told Kiran she seemed to be getting friendly with Grey Emerson? And what had Kiran, in turn, told her? “Right. I have. Everyone’s very… nice.” She noticed Caterina’s gaze on her.

“That’s good,” Kiran said, but he still didn’t smile. “I’m glad everyone’s so nice. And Isha’s doing well?” His eyes held hers for a long, long moment.

“She is. Very well.” Jaya cleared her throat into the silence.

“We were just saying goodbye,” Caterina said, smiling flashily at them. “It’s late where they are, you know? You missed all of our chat, unfortunately.”

Jaya forced an easy smile. “Well. Maybe next time, then.”

Caterina wiggled her fingers at them. “Till next time!”

She ended the call and turned to Jaya, her brown eyes sparkling. “You have such lovely friends, Jaya,” she said. “They seem to like you so much.”

“They’re wonderful,” Jaya agreed carefully, her eyes never leaving Caterina’s face.