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  Risera turned suddenly, and with a big smile, said, “I’m sorry, Tilly, I so rarely get a chance to practice my French. But today is about you, really, isn’t it?” Before Sylvia knew what was happening, Risera had put an arm through hers, and was pulling her on ahead. “We’re going to head up to the rooms now. Madame et Monsieur Quinn, may I escort you to the reception?”

  “Don’t you worry about that,” said Quinn. “We can find our way. You girls run along.”

  “Are you sure?” said Risera.

  “Of course,” said Adèle. She tucked her arm around Quinn’s, and the pair went on their way.

  Risera turned to Sylvia. “Come on,” she said. “I’ll show you the room.”

  She led Sylvia down the hall, and then up a big staircase. As they went along, Risera kept up the conversation with ease; Sylvia was grateful: there was so much that was new that she was starting to flag.

  “I guess your mother couldn’t get away for long enough to bring you?” Risera said.

  Sylvia went on the defensive. “Work, you know? It’s hard for her to get away.”

  Risera nodded seriously. “Well, of course! We’ve all got parents in the diplomatic corps, we understand what it’s like.” She glanced at Sylvia. “I don’t know about you, but I got fed up trailing around after the parents. It was such a relief to get here. Spend some time in the same place. Be able to put books on shelves and clothes in closets and not feel like I always had to be ready to pack.”

  Sylvia nodded slowly. She had felt the same way—but that was why she had asked to go and live with Granna and Quinn. She didn’t just want to stay still—she wanted to stay at home.

  “Everyone’s really looking forward to meeting you, Tilly. We all think your mom is a great role model.”

  Sylvia gave a rather forced smile. “Sure, she’s great.”

  “Maybe she could come and speak to us at graduation. People would love that.”

  “Are these the rooms?” said Sylvia.

  “Oh! Yes! You’ve come pretty much at the right time,” Risera said. “Last year we were all still in the dormitories—ten to a room. This year—pairs. I think they’re trying to signal to us that it’s time to get down to really serious study.”

  Yes, thought Tilly. Playtime’s over.

  They walked down a plain corridor lined with doors. There were a handful of other students around, unpacking and organizing their stuff. One or two looked curiously at Tilly. “I’ll make introductions later,” said Risera. “For now—let’s take a look at the room.”

  She stopped a little way down the corridor and opened the door. “It’s not much,” she said, “but it’s home!”

  In fact, it was rather a pleasant room, with white walls, and a bay with a window seat that would face the sunset going down across the grounds. Four armchairs were gathered around this, and a little table, waiting for guests. On either side of the room there was a bed. The closets were in the wall behind the door. Tilly’s trunk and cases stood in the middle of the room, waiting for her to start unpacking. On the other side of the room, two desks faced each other, with shelves on the walls beside them.

  “Hey, I didn’t pick a side,” said Risera. “I thought you might like to choose. Make yourself at home, you know.” She smiled, with genuine warmth, and Tilly fell a little more in love with her.

  “That’s really kind of you. I don’t mind, not really . . .”

  “Really? I’ll take this one over here, then. It’s good luck to be on the left-hand side.” She jumped on the bed. “It’s good to be back!” she said. “Tilly, I think we’re going to get along famously.”

  And that was Sylvia’s fondest wish too.

  * * *

  Later that afternoon, Adèle and Quinn said their goodbyes and went off to the groundcar that would return them to the public transporter and then their hotel. They turned and saw Sylvia on the step by the big doors. She lifted her hand, and waved forlornly. Quinn waved back, and Adèle blew a kiss. And then Risera drew her inside, and she was gone.

  “Poor kid,” said Quinn.

  But Adèle shook her head. “There’s more of her mother in her than she realizes. I know she’ll find her way.”

  * * *

  In their room, Tilly looked at her trunk and cases and thought she’d better make a start. She’d barely opened them when there was a tap at the door, and a Bolian girl poked her head in. “Hi, Risera,” she said. “How was the holiday?”

  Risera jumped off the bed. “Xoha!” She pulled the girl into the room and gave her a hug. “It was okay. The usual. Hotels.”

  “Tell me about it,” said Xoha, and flung herself on the nearest armchair. She and Risera immediately fell to gossiping. Tilly hung back, not wanting to interrupt, until Risera waved her over. “Tilly! Don’t be shy!”

  Xoha, turning, said, “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t see you there! Wow, amazing hair . . . Are you the new one?”

  Tilly nodded. “That’s me.” She stood up from the bed, and she and Xoha took stock of each other. “Tilly,” she said. “Sylvia Tilly. Tilly by preference, please.”

  “Oh,” said Xoha, realization dawning. “I know who you are! Isn’t your mother—”

  “Yeah,” said Tilly. “She is.”

  “She’s great!”

  “She certainly has her moments,” Tilly said brightly.

  “Do you think she’d come and talk to us?” said Xoha. She turned to Risera. “Sera, it would be such a coup. The seniors won’t get anyone so well known.”

  “There’s a sort of informal competition between our year and the upper year,” Risera explained to Tilly. “For speech day. They always win—they’ve done placements by then and someone usually manages to get a big name to come along. But your mother . . .” She eyed Tilly thoughtfully. “Would she come?”

  Tilly’s heart sank at the thought. It would be just typical if Mom ended up more popular here than her. “She might,” she said. “She’s kind of busy . . . Can I take one of these closets?”

  “Sure!” said Risera. “I started using the one on the right, but only because it’s nearest. We can switch if you like.”

  “No, that’s fine,” said Tilly. She opened her chest and started to pull out the contents systematically. Risera and Xoha, sprawled on the armchairs, watched with interest. “Wow,” said Xoha. “You’re really tidy. You’re gonna have to raise your game, Sera. She can be a real slob, Tilly. Don’t let her leave unwashed cups around.”

  Risera, meanwhile, was studying each piece of clothing as it came out. “Tilly, are those pajamas silk?”

  Tilly flushed. They were brand-new. She hadn’t seen them before and definitely hadn’t known they were in the trunk. She guessed her mother had bought them and instructed Granna to put them in her chest. Typical Mom gift. She shook them out. They were absolutely gorgeous, white with big bold violets on them. “Yup,” she said. She folded them up, carefully, and put them away in the back of the closet. “But these,” she said, pulling out her old favorites, blue cotton, softened with age and washing, “are comfortable.”

  The two other girls laughed. Tilly carried on unpacking and listened in to their conversation. Most of it was about people she didn’t know, dramas and jokes from before she had arrived, but every so often Risera would stop and explain. Tilly was grateful. It would be good to have someone sensitive as a friend. Tilly would be the first to admit that sometimes she had some funny little ways. She worked out in the course of the conversation that Risera was from Arixus. A small world; one she didn’t know much about. She could learn.

  There was another tap on the door, and two more girls arrived. The room was now full of laughter and chatter. Someone made a pot of spicy tea, and someone else produced some very pleasant little nutty pastries. Tilly, who had now gotten everything put away to her satisfaction, sat on the edge of her bed, nibbling a pastry, swinging her legs, and listening. She soon had their names worked out, and a little of their background. As well as Xoha, whose mother was a senior off
icial for the Bolian Export Office, there was Erisel, from Risa, whose family, somewhat unexpectedly, weren’t involved in promoting tourism, but were concerned with environmental policy, and, last of all, there was Semett, a quiet and pleasant Trill who was specializing in languages. (“She’s amazing,” said Risera. “It’s unnatural,” said Xoha. “Like witchcraft or something.” Semett simply smiled and carried on listening to everything going on around her.) Tilly also realized, as other people popped their heads around the door to say hello, that Risera’s room was a hub, a place where people dropped by to hear the news and find out what was happening. And at the core was this little group of friends.

  Oh my goodness, thought Tilly, with growing delight. I’m in with the in-crowd! She hugged herself. Now, that was a first! Perhaps this wasn’t going to be an unmitigated disaster after all. She imagined tea parties, study groups, confidences and jokes and shared histories. She realized she was excited about what lay ahead. Maybe it’s all going to be okay . . .

  Suddenly, a bell rang, and the gang of girls groaned.

  “What’s that?” said Tilly.

  “First warning,” explained Risera. “Five more minutes till bed; five minutes after that—lights must be out.”

  Tilly stood up to brush her teeth. None of the others made a move, staying comfortably in their seats and carrying on their conversation as if nothing had happened. When the second bell rang, the girls at last started to rouse themselves from their chairs. The visitors all grabbed their own mugs as they left, but there were still a few plates and Risera’s and Tilly’s mugs. “Where do we do the washing up?” said Tilly.

  “The what?” said Risera, who was already heading toward her bed.

  “The, er, dishes?” said Tilly.

  “Oh, leave them till morning!” said Risera, waving her hand.

  “It’s okay, I’d rather do them now. I hate having dirty things around the place.”

  “Well,” said Risera, by now snuggling up under the covers, “if you really want—there’s a kitchen down the hall. But second bell means bed—you don’t want to get into trouble on your first night.”

  Tilly hesitated, dishes in hand. Risera raised an eyebrow. “It’s okay,” she said. “They cut us some slack first night back.”

  “Okay, I’ll do them real quick,” said Tilly. “I’ll remember next time—first bell means dishes.”

  Risera gave her a funny look. “You really can leave them till morning—”

  “Ugh, no! I couldn’t bear to think about them sitting there all night!” Tilly scuttled down the hall, found the kitchen, and was back in their room within five minutes. Risera’s light was off, so she tiptoed in, putting away the crockery as quietly as she could.

  “There’s a message for you,” Risera mumbled from her bed. “Your comm was beeping.”

  “Sorry! I’ll set it to silent.”

  “ ’S’okay. Night, Tilly. Nice to have you here. Thanks for doing the washing up.”

  Tilly glowed with pleasure. She slipped over to her desk, put in her earpiece, and opened her message. Daddy!

  “Hey, Sills,” said Iain. “Hope your first day has gone well. Hope you’ve got your first invite to a midnight feast. I’m sure you’ll be selected for the lacrosse team and score the winning goal.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered. “Funny man is so funny.”

  “Seriously though, Sills, I hope you’re going to have a good time. I know you weren’t sure—and I wasn’t sure either, to be honest—but Granna Adèle said it was a great place, really beautiful, and great kids, and I just want you to have the time of your life. Happiest days of your life, you know?” He frowned. “I don’t know why they say that. When I was your age, I was in love with a college girl, and you can imagine how well that turned out. Ah, the pangs of unrequited love! Fiona Mackay, where are you now? How many hearts lie broken in your wake across the vast chasm of time?”

  “Silly Daddy,” whispered Tilly, laughing softly to herself.

  “Anyway, Sills, I just want to say—grab what’s on offer. Give it all a go! What is there to lose?”

  “Um, my dignity?”

  “Apart from your dignity, but, to be honest, Sills, we of the red curls are starting off on the back foot there . . .” He ran his hands through his short hair, mussing it up. “So—forget about dignity. Forget self-consciousness, and just go for it, little girl.” He blew her a kiss. “I love you. We’ll speak soon, I promise. Night, Sills. Have fun.”

  The message ended. Tilly turned off the screen, but sat for a while at her desk, looking around the dark room. Risera was fast asleep now, a dark hump in her bed, snoring slightly. Tilly smiled. A roommate, and a really nice one. Maybe Daddy’s advice was good. Maybe—maybe she would give everything a go after all. What was there to lose?

  * * *

  The first few days passed in a whirl. Tilly had to learn new names, new places, new schedules. There wasn’t much time left at the end of the day to do more than get preparation done for the following day’s classes, and then to fall with a groan exhausted into bed. She found, as she had expected, that she was way ahead when it came to math and science, but that her language skills were behind the others. Risera, she found out ruefully, could hold her own in nearly thirteen different languages, including three from Earth, and she didn’t seem to think she was doing anything special. The language classes were a chore, not least because they didn’t let the students use the universal translators.

  Tilly thought this was ridiculous. “We went to all this trouble to invent this darn technology,” she grumbled. “Why can’t we just use it?”

  Risera laughed. “What if it broke down, Tilly? What would you do then?”

  “I’d fix it,” said Tilly doggedly. “Math, that’s the real universal language.” She saw Risera’s face, and said, “Have you never opened one up, Risera? They’re not complicated, once you’ve got the hang of them.”

  Risera laughed. “I’ll take your word for it, Tilly!”

  Funny, though, Tilly thought. Why not simply teach the students how the translators work? They were going to be hugely reliant on them in their careers. All it would take would be one quick class, and they’d be equipped for life. And they could free up all the hours wasted by language classes.

  By the end of the second week, Tilly was tired, and more than a little grouchy. The weather outside was glorious, the turn between late summer and early autumn, and the huge trees that formed part of the boundary around the school’s grounds were vibrantly red. But it seemed to Tilly that she was hunched over books all the time, trying to catch up with the others while staying ahead on her own subjects and interests. One evening, the gang came around to hang out and drink tea and shoot the breeze. It nearly drove her mad. She picked up her books and went off in a huff to the library.

  When she got back, just before first bell, only Risera was there.

  “Hey,” Risera said. “Sorry we disturbed you.”

  “It’s okay. I was just trying to get ready for tomorrow.” Tilly put her books down with a sigh. They had an economics test in the morning, and she didn’t feel anywhere near ready. And economics was supposed to be one of her better subjects. She rubbed at her temples.

  “You know, Tilly,” said Risera, “it’s okay to take a break sometimes.”

  “There’s just so much to do!” Tilly said unhappily.

  “Part of what we’re learning to do is not to get overwhelmed. Staying inside all the time isn’t good for you, you know.”

  “I can’t work outside,” wailed Tilly. “The pollen triggers my allergies. And there’s insects, and the seats aren’t comfortable—”

  “I’m not talking about working outside. I mean, getting some exercise.”

  Tilly’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

  “Look, me and Xoha, we go rowing. It’s really fun. Why don’t you come along tomorrow and try it out?”

  “Rowing?” said Tilly doubtfully. She pictured a small boat, with big oars, and
huge muscly athletes straining away till it looked like the veins in their heads would pop . . . “Uh, no, I don’t think that’s my kind of thing—”

  “No, really, come with me! It’s not what you imagine!” Risera put her arm around her shoulder. “Come on, Tilly! Come and have some fun!”

  Fun, thought Tilly as her alarm went off a good hour and a half earlier than usual. In what universe is this fun? Risera was already up, fresh faced and smiling, a picture of youthful health and energy. Wearily, Tilly pulled on her clothes and followed her out. They jogged down to the lake. Tilly’s eyes widened. “Okay,” she said. “You’re right. This wasn’t what I was expecting.”

  There were about fifteen girls there, some of them carrying drums. As for the boats—they weren’t the sleek, low things that Tilly was expecting, but wooden, rather ornate, painted bright colors, and with flags and bunting all over them. “What is this?” said Tilly.

  “Arixxian rowing,” said Risera proudly. “You haven’t seen half of it, Tilly. Wait till the end of the semester, when we put on the whole show. There’s pipe music!”

  “Okay . . .”

  “Here’s an oar. Come on, let’s give you a go.”

  She led Tilly over to a scarlet-painted boat, bedecked with yellow and orange flags and ribbons. The teams were four-person, with a drummer up front. Risera put Tilly at the back, where she could watch the rest of the team. “Listen to the drum,” she said. “Watch the others. You’ll soon get the hang of it.”

  Perhaps predictably, Tilly didn’t get the hang of it. The boat she was in didn’t exactly sink, but they came in some distance last, way behind the blues-and-greens and the purples-and-whites. She just couldn’t get the timing right . . . No matter how she tried, she couldn’t bring the oar down at the same time as her partner, and when it landed, it whacked the water like a diver belly-flopping into a pool.

  “Okay,” said Risera, after they’d clambered out of the boat. “Right. That wasn’t bad for a first attempt—”