"I'm sorry." I squeezed her arm, but she ever so subtly flinched away.

This Mei-Ling was remarkably steady for someone who'd seen her boyfriend killed, was abducted, taken to an island in the middle of the sea, and learned about the existence of vampires all in the space of, what, a few days? She might look like a sip of water, but she had an inner strength-that was for sure.

"So, Mei-Ling." I leaned my elbows on the table, acting casual. "Did you have other hobbies in New York? Like martial arts or something?" Because why else would they have brought her here?

She gave me a frown. "Because I'm Chinese American?"

I put my hands up in surrender. "Because most girls here have some experience with kicking ass, and you don't strike me as the shotgun type."

Her frown cleared. "I'm not supposed to go to gym class. I need to be careful of my hands."

My eyes flicked to those hands, with long, graceful fingers that I could picture flitting over piano keys or across violin strings. If she was this calm on her first day at a vampire training academy, I imagined she'd have been cold steel on a symphony stage.

She picked up her glass and drank the blood-that right there explained at least some of her composure. The drink brought a false sense of calm that, after enough doses, eventually became real calm. They must've been dosing her from the get-go.

Such careful treatment on the part of the vampires-it was baffling.

I studied her. If it weren't for the extra consideration on their part, she'd obviously not survive. It wasn't that Mei looked weak. She had the stiffest upper lip I'd ever seen. No, it was more that she looked tended. Cared for. Loved.

She didn't want to be here, but not in the same way that we didn't want to be here. So many of us Acari didn't want to be anywhere. If she were a musical prodigy, she obviously worked hard and had a competitive edge. But there was another sort of edge that was lacking. It was the one that'd been shoved, starved, stymied, and slapped into the rest of us in our lives before Eyja nturinnar.

So what was her deal? I wanted to keep her talking. "Have you met her yet? Kenzie, I mean. Blond bob? Kinda reminds me of an American Girl doll."

Yas snorted. "If American Girl dolls wore catsuits and carried sai knives."

My eyes lit. "Is that what those things are called?" Our new Proctor's weapon of choice was a pair of daggers, each one flanked by two sharp, short spikes. They looked like something you might see wielded by some manga badass.

Yasuo made a little hissing noise, slowly sweeping his hands in front of his face like a ninja. "So desu ne," he informed me in Japanese.

The guy had been born in Japan and prided himself on knowing his native weaponry. And I had to give him credit. He was one of the only people who'd respected the power of my throwing stars-and known their true name, shuriken-before I'd even learned to use them.

Still, I couldn't let Yasuo get too smug. I nudged him. "Okay, sensei. Cool your jets."

"You're welcome, grasshopper."

"Hush. Both of you." Emma silenced us in her North Dakota prairie girl way. She was the only person I'd ever met who was capable of using the word hush without irony. I think it was because she could do things like skin a wild animal with just three flicks of her Buck knife. She turned her attention to Mei. "What classes are you taking?"

My roommate pulled a neatly folded paper from her jacket pocket.

"Hey, you finally got that syllabus you've been wanting." My attempt at humor fell flat, so I just I leaned in to study her schedule. It was a weird one.

SCI 101.

Intro to Phenomena

TTh 912

Tracer Judge

IND.

Independent Study in Combat

MWF 912

Watcher Angel

IND.

Independent Study in Fitness

TTh 25

Tracer Ronan

IND.

Independent Study in Advanced Musicianship

MWF 36

Master Dagursson

"Ohhkayyy." I shared a quick glance with Emma. This was Mei-Ling's first term, and already she had three independent studies? "Well, Phenomena is cool."

"Watcher Angel is her combat teacher?" Yasuo piped up, clued out as usual. "That's the girl with the arms, right? Isn't her nickname the Angel of Death?"

Watcher Angel had some seriously cut biceps. But Mei-Ling didn't need to hear that right now. I narrowed my eyes, giving him my best STFU look. "Not helping."

"Advanced Musicianship?" he went on, ignoring me. "What do you play?"

Something flickered in Mei's eyes-it was an enviable mix of pride and self-knowledge. I imagined it was the thing that'd given her strength to get her this far. "Violin...or at least I did play the violin. I can manage most string instruments." She shrugged. "Woodwinds, too."

Yas grinned. "Tiger Mom?"

Mei-Ling's eyes went flat with disdain. "What, you think you know the Chinese girl? You assume because I play the violin that I have a Tiger Mother and my sister is good at math? You just perpetuate your own cliches."

I braced, wondering how Yas would handle it. Instead of getting upset, though, he just smirked. "Hey, you don't give us much to work with."

"Fine," Mei said, sounding more clinical than angry. "I play the violin because it's a beautiful instrument. I also play bass guitar in a garage band. My mom is awesome. She makes killer handmade dumplings, but she also volunteers at the soup kitchen and can rock a pair of skinny jeans. I work hard because I like to." She gave him a teasing half smile. "You should try it."

I wasn't sure if this was still a charged moment or not-Mei wasn't the easiest person to read-but I chimed in, hoping to ease the tension if there was any. "Handmade dumplings, huh? All I ever got to try were those gummy pot sticker things they have at Panda Express."

Yas moaned. "I'd kill for their sweet-and-sour chicken."

I rolled my eyes. "You say that about everything. You'd kill for an extra pat of butter. For a soy latte. For a Snickers bar. You're losing your cred."

Emma nodded sagely in agreement. "It's true."

I smiled and looked over to catch Mei's eye, but instead of being cheered by our chatter, she sat silently, swirling a spoon in her congealed soup. Thinking about those handmade dumplings, no doubt. A thick silence followed.

Finally it was Emma who broke the ice and brought us back on topic. She peered at Mei's schedule and cleared her throat. "They certainly gave you a lot of independents," she said, stating the obvious in a neutral tone.

"What's up with that?" Yas said, already back to his usual self.

He snatched the paper out of Mei's hands for a better look. She allowed it, though, and even leaned closer to look at the paper in his hands. Apparently, the weird conversation had relieved the strain between her and the rest of us.

"What is up with that?" I agreed, though I had a feeling I knew. They wanted to protect her. "Maybe they're worried about her hands." I'd said it jokingly, but there was a kernel of truth there. The vampires had kidnapped her and wanted to preserve her.

And somehow I played a part.

"Oh," Emma chirped. "Let's ask Ronan."

I looked up, and there he was. I braced instantly, trying to put up shields I knew would be no match for those green eyes.

"Ronan," I said under my breath. "Speak of the devil."

CHAPTER FIVE.

Ronan made a beeline for the table. There were many of us he taught, but a small part of me hoped that I was the one he was coming to see.

I checked that emotion. If anyone would be able to sense my bond with Carden, it'd be Ronan. If anything, I should be avoiding him. Besides, the vampire wouldn't take kindly to the quasi-friendship we shared. I had enough complications in my life without testing that theory.

I realized I was glaring at him when he glared at me back. I had to say something now. "Good evening to you, too, Ronan."

Sure enough, he stopped by my chair. "Will you be ready to work tomorrow morning?"

Why would he even ask me that? And why did I feel like his gaze could pierce right through me? I forced myself not to squirm under the scrutiny. "Do I have a choice?"

Then I saw it-the briefest smile flickered across his features and was gone just as fast. He'd told me once how I reminded him of his sister who'd been killed in Watcher training. What else did he see when he looked at me?

He glanced at my tray. "Are you finished here?"

Mei-Ling was eating quietly. I didn't want to leave her alone. I glanced at my friends, an unasked question in my eyes. Emma nodded. She'd keep an eye out for my mysterious roommate.

"Yeah, I'm done." I stood and gathered my tray.

"Walk with me."

"I need to get back soon." Curfew was coming, and it was time for all good girls to be nestled safe in their beds. "We Acari aren't allowed to roam like you guys." I chafed my arms, feeling as bitter as the wind that pummeled me even through the thick wool of my coat.

"I'll drop you at the dorm," he said.