I had no choice. I had to go to my room eventually. With Charlotte ever my silent bodyguard, I drifted across the Yard toward the dorm, walking slower and slower with each step as dread tried to keep me from finishing the trip.

"Miss Hayle." I turned, grateful for the distraction, to face a smiling young man in a crisp black uniform. I recognized him, though couldn't place from where. It wasn't until he handed me a sheet of paper the same color as his outfit, reddish curls as ...