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"Come in, Ameera," I shout I have to shout to be heard over the RAs voices and also Carl’s drilling

Rashid steps quickly out of her way As he turns, I see that his face has gone almost as pale as hers He can’t seem to take his eyes off her

A shy (and thin) as a young doe She’s wearing a white print sundress, brown leather sandals, and no jewelry except for the gold pendant with interlocking rings she’d been wearing the last time I saw her She looks around the office uncertainly, but finally focuses her attention on me, since I’ot a letter," she says in her polite, British-accented voice I can hardly hear her above the din, she’s speaking so softly "You wanted to see ed fro at her Even his noruard looks uncomfortable He lays a hand on the prince’s shoulder and says softly, "Your Highness? I think we should go now"

But Rashid ignores hiirl

"I do want to see you," I say "You and the prince, wholances at Rashid "We’ve met," she says, in the sa withup to unlock the door to Lisa’s office with my master key "In here, privately, both of you"

It’s Rashid who responds first

"Of course," he says eagerly "I’ll be happy to" He barrels across the office, elbowing through the clusters of RAs, practically knocking Carl’s ladder over in his haste to get into Lisa’s empty office to meet with Ameera alone--well, not quite alone, since I’ll be there

But he’s apparently willing to take whatever he can get, as I’d suspected when I’d heard froirl’s co to follow the boy "No!"

I hold out a hand to halt the bodyguard

"I’ It’s private Only Rashid and Ameera may attend You’ll have to wait outside"

Ha so quickly to protect his prince that he walks straight into ainst Qalifi law, but the bodyguard sure acts like it is He leaps back about three feet, looking shocked

"No," Hamad practically spits "You cannot! You cannot" Then he seems to remember himself, and declares, "You cannot meet with the prince alone! It is not done"

"Hamad," the prince calls from Lisa’s office His voice is steady and self-assured "It’s fine I’ll be all right Do as Miss Wells says, and wait outside"

Haed than I’ve ever seen hi with fire I reach instinctively forfor the pistol Hal insisted I bring to ith ht," Ha himself down upon the couch Rashid has recently vacated, with the ill grace of an angry child who’s been given a time-out "I ait But for five er than that," I say, relaxing rip--but only a little--on irl "Will you co her shoulders so tensely, you’d think she was going to her execution, not aheir to the throne of Qalif

Still, she doesn’t demur She nods, and says faintly, "I will," and walks into Lisa’s office like Joan of Arc on her way to the stake

Now that I have the two residents I’ve most wanted to question since Jasmine’s death exactly where I want them, I turn to the RAs in the outer office and say, "As you can see, I’ I understand how frustrated and upset all of you are, but you’re not going to acco to be back until noon I suggest you go visit President Allington’s office now that it’s open One word of advice before you go, though"

I pause to take a sip of oodness I’ve fortified it with extra whipped crea I’ve noticed is that not a single one of you has said the words ‘I’et over to the president’s office, if you do et an appoint yousoirl died, you know I’ her death was your fault, or even that she died as a result of the party, but the whole reason residence halls exist is to help students transition safely into adult life The whole reason RA jobs exist is to assist the that"

I take a deep breath I have their full attention--even Hae, only instead of touching the audience’s hearts with a tender love ballad, I’ the RAs the speech they should have had before they were hired Unfortunately, Siue, the director of Wasser Hall, hired them, and he knows as little about responsibility as I do about nursing--real nursing, not below-the-sheets nursing

"But you guys not only failed to do your job, the night of the party you actually encouraged young people to behave irresponsibly So a nice ‘I’e student code and setting a terrible exa ith so ith me, or with Sarah, or even Lisa, if you’d also said, ‘I’uys after all the hard work you did training us andour rooone a long ithLisa cry, because you did: you made Lisa cry For that alone, I have no "

All of the RAs blink at me in astonishment I don’t think any of these particular students have ever been rebuked by an adult in their lives Because these are the type of kids who, in the words of Detective Canavan’s irrepressible probie, always got awards si