“Are you hungry?” I open my mouth to answer, but she slides the tray across my lap and keeps talking. “I guess that’s a silly question, since it’s nearly time for the midday meal and you haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday. Unless Norah offered you a light meal last night? It doesn’t seem like she would have, but she surprises all of us sometimes.”

She pauses and tilts her head to one side as if she’s waiting for a reply.

“No, Norah didn’t offer me a meal.” I pick up a deep purple berry from the tray. “And yes, I’m hungry.”

“I thought you would be.” She sits on the end of the bed. A smattering of white star-shaped tattoos curve around the back of her ear, and her right arm is covered in indigo swirls. “I’m Tessa, by the way, your new roommate.”

Suddenly the pieces fall into place. I saw her in the bone reading; she was my roommate on my other path as well. Chills race up my arms. What are the chances I’d end up sharing a room with the exact same person? Unless we were fated to meet no matter which path survived?

She must notice a change in my expression, because her eyes go soft. “Are you feeling ill? Norah said that sometimes Bone Charmers have a harder time adjusting than the rest of us. It sounds miserable, but I could probably help if you aren’t feeling well. I could do a spell for nausea if you need it.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine,” I say, though it’s a lie. The nightmare—or was it a bone reading?—flits at the edges of my thoughts and it’s all I can do to keep the panic at bay. I pop the berry into my mouth and chew slowly. “You don’t have a roommate already?”

“No,” she says, drawing out the word so it sounds both humorous and annoyed. “There were uneven numbers, so I was assigned a solo room. But it’s been so dull all by myself—not to mention lonely—and I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re here.” Her hand folds around my ankle.

Normally, I would find her chattiness grating, but a wave of affection washes over me that I can’t explain. She feels like an old friend, lost and then found again.

I keep eating while Tessa talks. She tells me all about how her first term went, how she’s finally feeling more confident in her abilities, how she can’t wait until she can introduce me to her friends.

“I want to know all about you, too,” she says after several minutes, “but it will have to wait until later. Norah wants to see you in the great hall”—she motions toward the food—“as soon as you’re finished eating, of course.”