Nate was already angry at the entire situation before Matt's apparently nonchalant request for a game of chess, but hearing that come from his mouth after what had happened made Nate's anger flare up. He kept his same grim expression, though, unable to be changed. Pam's declination of Matt's offer made Nate feel a bit better--at least she understood the gravity of the situation--but it was still nothing that could help him much. As Nate was staring out the window at the late-afternoon sun, just starting to descend over the lake, another fourth year walked up, evidently already knowing him by name. "Nate? That's me," he said, shaking the boy's hand, "Nice to meet you, Surya." There was no way he was telling this kid the truth. If he did, Surya would be dead within a week of the next summer. "This is my cat," he lied, "she was accidentally petrified when I was practicing some spells earlier." He sniffed a bit. "She never woke up." It was a very helpful combination when a great liar had actual misery to cover up his story. After having finished his lie, Nate went back to staring out the window, wiping a small tear off of his cheek with his robe sleeve.