"Oh, I took really good notes in class today, if you need them."

Notes... class... it was good to be back. "Oh, thank you! I was going to ask you to, but you'd already left." She hoped she sounded convincing.

"It's alright, really. Not like you can't afford to miss a day here or there! What happened, anyway? Did you just fall asleep and sleep through those three classes?"

Fall asleep? If only... and it was possible, but unlikely, and Heather knew that... no, Susanne had to think of something else. She shook her head. "No, cramps. Had me down for hours."

"Yuk, I'm sorry. You feel better now, though?"

"Oh, yeah. Much. And hungry!"

They chatted all the way through dinner. Afterwards, Heather went to the library for awhile, leaving Susanne to walk back to her room alone.

Susanne still didn't get what had happened. Maybe it had all been some kind of nightmare. Some weird trip. She couldn't remember taking anything, but one never knew... it was unlikely, though. Well, for the moment, she had things to do. She would call her professors tomorrow, or go see them... for now, she needed to study. She closed her door and turned on the light--

"Roger! What the hell are you doing here?!?!?"

"Shh... remember how thin the walls are," the man replied.

"To hell with the walls, you scared me half to death!"

"Well, I'm really sorry about that. But the fact of the matter remains that you still--"

"I'm still a college student, get it? I missed classes today. I can't afford to do that. I've got this week, then next week is break, and then it's midterms."

"Okay, fine. You stay here, in your little bubble, take your tests, whatever. I'm still your Guardian. Get used to it."

"And you plan on staying... You can't stay here, you know."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so!"

"You don't have guest rules here."

"So? I still-- and how did you know that, anyway?"

"I've done my homework."

Susanne sighed. "Fine. Whatever. There's an extra blanket at the bottom of my closet there. You get the floor. But this is temporary, get it?"

"Temporary. Yeah."

"I'm not sneaking food back in here for you. Or making a copy of my key, or anything."

"I got in here just fine."

Susanne sighed. Suddenly, she felt very tired.