"I'm sorry, what?"
Merlina blinked slowly, as if trying to shake water from her ears. Her brain had registered the words, but they refused to connect, floating just out of reach.
"Miss Sanchez, I know this is upsetting, please try to remain calm." His voice held a note of practiced empathy, the kind reserved for students he wouldn't remember after they left the room.
He was asking her to remain calm?
But her heart was racing, loud in her ears, her hands gripped the sides of the chair like she might fall through the floor. She felt exposed, trapped, like she was in danger but couldn't see where it was coming from.
"I don't understand," she said. "I haven't failed anything. I've made up for my missed tests, where is this coming from?"
A hint of emotion passed across the Dean's face. Pity, maybe. Or discomfort. He glanced at the woman to his left, the one Merlina didn't recognize and then back at her.
"I'm afraid this isn't strictly academic," he said.
