A knock at the door. Claudia was perched on her desk chair, plucking pins from the map-and-yarn display on the wall, and letting them clink into an empty mug. A shorter string of yarn fell, one end leading, in a wide, spiraling motion to the floor. It whirled tornado-like until it touched down onto the carpet, where it spun for a second more, before falling limp. That was one thing she appreciated – the way things fell.

She cursed quietly. Her lights were on. She slunk down onto the floor and over to the door, where she rested a hand tentatively on the knob.

"Claudia, open up."

Some odd combination of relief and exasperation washed over her at the sound of the RA's voice, and she acquiesced.

The girl strode in past Claudia and resumed her prior spot on the edge of the bed. The calming, quiet nature had been replaced with a kind of urgency, and it was unnerving to see her in that state.

"I've received a complaint from one of the groups on campus. I was told that a member of a philosophical organization encountered prejudice and physical threat in this dorm."

The color drained from Claudia's face.

"No names were shared, because none were known, but I know enough about my dorm members to identify the party involved."

"He was-"

"Don't." The RA closed her eyes. "This wouldn't be an issue, had you handled yourself in a rational manner."

"There was literally nothing else I could do to make him leave. He was irrational." Claudia's voice cracked.

"Yes, and that's kind of their thing." The RA quipped. Claudia drew back, and the other girl mirrored this withdrawal, suddenly upset by her own break in self-resolve.

"I'm sorry. It's a very complicated situation, and there's a measure of understanding that you need to exhibit when confronting people of alternative philosophies."

Claudia stared vacantly past the girl. She continued,

"If you find yourself in any similar situations and are unsure of how to act, please consult me, and I can address the visitor."

Claudia's jaw tightened and she locked eyes with the RA. "I won't find myself in any similar situations, because I'm not keeping my door open anymore."

Braced for rebuttal, Claudia had determined that complete geographical autonomy was the critical factor in her maintaining any measure of privacy. Deterring others through performance had sprung a leak, and she had opted to abandon the ship as soon as possible. Short of staying in her bedroom entirely, there must be another way by which to maintain her independence. She could try convincing others that she had suddenly become mute.

Inexplicably, the tension in the room broke, and the RA exhaled sharply in what could've only been a muffled laugh. "That's a good idea," she remarked, "Keep your door closed, and I'll receive fewer complaints." She rose and crossed to the doorway, where she turned back to face the still-seated girl.

"By the way…what's my name?"

Crap.

Among all the other familiar faces to names she couldn't be bothered to memorize, this was possibly the only one that she should have actually made the effort to learn. Claudia inhaled deeply as if to speak, air caught in her throat, and she began coughing. The RA waited patiently, arms folded, until the coughing spell could not have reasonably continued any longer.

"Ssssss…Sarah."

"Leena." She replied, with obvious amusement. "There's no one named Sarah on this floor."

Dress spinning behind her, she departed out of view without further comment. Claudia was rooted by her posterior in her chair, staring blankly at where the RA had just stood. From halfway down the hallway, a voice called back,

"There's no one named Sarah in the whole building."