A pale man in glasses tapped the whiteboard at the front of the room. “I hope you all studied hard for today’s exam. It’s a full third of your grade for the semester, and no, I will not be grading on a curve, so don’t bother asking.” Ignoring the grumbles, he started checking off roll call.

He hadn’t gotten three names in when Tanvi glimpsed Nitya’s shocked face staring at her through the window in the door. Great.

Nitya ducked out of sight, but not before someone muttered, “Did you see that?”

Sameer definitely had. He glanced suspiciously from Tanvi to the door, and she could see the wheels turning. He texted something from beneath his desk.

“Asha!” she hissed. “We have to go.”

Asha winked at her, then stood. “Good morning, Mr. Collins,” she sang out, sashaying to the front of the room. “As a token of my gratitude to you for permitting me to visit your class today, I wish to tell you a story.”

Tanvi gaped at her. So did Sameer. And the rest of the class.

Mr. Collins raised his eyebrows. “Who are you, exactly?”

“Asha, Nitya’s cousin from India.”

“Nitya,” Mr. Collins said, “I didn’t receive any notice from the office about you bringing a guest today. Did you forget we have an exam?”

Nitya might have had the perfect response, but the best Tanvi could manage was a hesitant “No?”

“Oh, but I am certain you will enjoy this, sir,” said Asha. “Back home, my family is celebrated far and wide for our riveting narratives.” She patted the gold cobra-shaped bajuband on her upper arm. “I won this for my performance in a recent competition. And now to regale you with the prizewinning story, an epic tale of hope and the struggle for survival.”

“Uh-huh. I don’t suppose it’s related to this?” Mr. Collins pointed to the whiteboard, where he’d written, For extra credit: What do PVC, Kevlar, and Teflon all have in common?

“There was a man.” Asha surveyed the entire classroom, drawing out the suspense. Her voice dropped in pitch. “And there was a tiger.”

“Here for it!” someone behind Tanvi exclaimed. “I hope he gets eaten.”

Mr. Collins crossed his arms. “I’m still waiting to hear how this relates to synthetic polymers. Or even basic chemistry.”

“Go,” Asha urged Tanvi, who leaped up, along with Sameer.

He threw his backpack over his shoulders. “Uh, family emergency!”

That’s one word for it, Tanvi thought. Before Mr. Collins could argue, she flung open the door.

“There was a tiger,” Asha finished with a wily grin. She glided out after them.

“This way,” Sameer said, leading Tanvi and Asha down the hall and through a set of heavy doors to a deserted quad outside. Someone had lost a red scarf on the pavement. Tanvi squinted; the color was jarring against the mass of gray clouds moving in.