My new room didn't look any different from the old two. They were all the same layout, all the same colors. Not a single difference separated them. And yet, this room felt strange.

Maybe it was because I knew I was being watched extra carefully.

We still couldn't find Loki and I spent my day off from classes calling his name around the dorm and quad. Ms. Rose was adamant that he would turn up, but I kept thinking of the dark red ink used to write that threatening message on my mirror.

What if someone had done something horrible to him?

A sharp, bitter wind whipped my hair in my face, stinging against my skin. I tugged my jacket tighter against me, though it did little to help against the dropping temperatures.

The sky, a solid sheet of slate gray, looked unforgiving and ominous. Ms. Rose said the weather was calling for a likely chance of snow tonight and I wanted to find Loki before any sort of storm would hit. I didn't want him left out in the cold to fend for himself.

"Loki!" I called again, before clicking my tongue sharply a few times. "Here kitty kitty!"

There was nothing. A few students, halfway across the quad, looked over at me, their expressions curious. But there was no sign of the little tabby cat I called mine.

I sighed as another burst of wind ripped past, sending goosebumps flaring over me as it cut through my clothing like it was made of nothing.

"What in the world are you doing?" An irritated voice asked from behind me.

I turned, surprised to see Alek, his eyes slanted into a glare. "Why does it matter to you?"

He made no notion that my words bothered him, or affected him. "Why are you yelling around like an idiot?"

Heat flared across my face, but I knew I was too chapped from the cold for Alek to notice any blush. "I'm not acting like an idiot," I snapped at him. "I'm looking for my cat."

Alek opened his mouth to respond, with some smartass comment, when he was interrupted by another voice.

"Hey Alek, why do you go be a dick somewhere else?"

Jason made his way over to us, hands tucked into his pockets. He seemed as nonchalant as ever, but the venom in his voice when he'd spoken to Alek had said volumes.

Alek appeared unaffected. He didn't even acknowledge Jason's presence. He kept his gaze, cold and unnerving, focused on me. "Stop screaming like a banshee, calling for an animal that doesn't want you to find it."

"I'm not leaving until I find my cat," I said stubbornly, setting my jaw. "And you can leave if you don't like it."

At that moment, there was a small meow. Loki twined his way through Alek's legs, but Alek paid him no attention. Then he moved on, meowing softly as he made his way to me.

I picked him up, thankful that he was okay. "Hey buddy," I said as I scratched under his chin. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Loki purred loudly, the sound reverberating in his little chest. Alek was staring at the cat, as if the way Loki rubbed his face against my hands was interesting to him.

"I guess now you can stop screaming at the top of your lungs," Alek sneered. "It was getting annoying."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Just bugger off, Aleksander."

Alek visibly stiffened, as if being called by his full name repulsed him. A muscle feathered in his jaw and his fist curled at his side. But then in the blink of an eye, all the emotion faded, and Alek was, once again, devoid of all feeling. Just like a statue.

"Just remember what I told you, Selene." Alek said. "It's still true."

And with that, he turned away, heading off toward the boy's dorms.

A sinking feeling settled in my gut as I remembered his words the other day in the hallway. I know why you're really here.

As soon as he'd gone, Jason gave me a smile. "He really doesn't like you, does he?"

Not wanting to have this conversation, I said, "I could say the same thing about you."

Jason snorted a laugh. "I guess that's true. Alek and I have never gotten along as long as we've known each other."

"And how long is that?" I asked, desperate to keep the conversation steered away from myself.

"A long time," Jason said. It was oddly mysterious, the way he said it. Like he needed to be vague. I wanted to pry, but I fought the urge. Maybe he just didn't want to tell me. After all, we were still basically strangers.

Another strike of icy wind blew, and I shivered hard, pulling Loki closer to my chest.

Jason glanced at me. "You look like you're freezing."

I nodded.

"You should head back inside before the temperature drops more."

"Thank you," I told him. "For telling Alek off."

He laughed. "Anytime. I'm glad you found your cat."

"Me too," I said as I stoked Loki's fur. "I was worried he'd be stuck in the cold tonight."

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be back in classes tomorrow."

Jason gave me a wide, serene smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

I couldn't help the odd hammering of my heart as I turned to walk away, Loki still clutched in my arms. His warmth was welcome as I made my way up the wide steps of Gamma Hall.

When I entered the dorms, I was grateful for the burst of heat that flared over my skin, thawing it. Ms. Rose sat at her desk, though she wasn't reading her novel.

It sat closed in front of her, the bare-chested man staring up at the ceiling. A bookmark stuck out from between the pages, the small tassel gathering on the worn wood of the desk.

Ms. Rose grinned as she saw me. "You found him."

"Yeah, I did," I said with a smile, clutching Loki tighter to my chest. "It feels so good to have him back. I was really worried about him."

Loki was still purring, as if being reunited with me also suited him just fine.

"Well, I won't keep you from getting back to your room. The little guy is probably hungry from all that time spent in the cold."

I turned to walk away, but then she stopped me. "Oh, and I almost forgot. A letter came while we were moving your things. I put it on your desk for you."

I gave her a smile of thanks as I headed into the first door, the one directly in front of her desk. Before I ducked inside my room, I spotted the camera pointed at my door.

Its little red light blinked, a sign it was currently recording, watching my every move. A necessary evil, Inara had called it. And even though I knew that I didn't want someone entering my room again and writing threatening messages, I wondered if Inara hadn't also installed that camera to watch me.

Before I could think too much more about it, I headed into my room, shutting the door behind me. For the first time since picking him up outside, Loki struggled in my grasp.

I released him, unsurprised when he headed straight for his food bowl. Laughing, I kicked off my shoes.

"At least you didn't change much while you were out there."

I pulled off my jacket, letting it rest on the back of my desk chair. And sitting on my desk, was a single letter. The label was printed, making it impossible to tell anything about what could be inside. There was no return address.

Curious, I picked up the letter, sliding my thumb under the sealed flap on the back. Inside, there was a single sheet of notebook paper, which appeared hastily ripped from a notebook. The fringed edges still clung to the paper, the folds were uneven, and it was covered in wrinkles. As if whoever had posted this letter had been in a hurry.

I unfolded it, and I recognized the writing immediately, even though it was rushed and haphazardly scrawled onto the paper. And though I knew I was imaging things, I could have sworn my mother's favorite, vanilla scented perfume clung to the letter like a brand.

I braced myself, because there was only one sentence, etched across the paper in large letters, with no care for the lines on the page.

You have no idea what you've done.