Chapter Two: Reality Has No Such Frame

The question silenced them both. Lin had seen the figure on the bridge, yet she could no longer say “the other me” without stumbling. The idea lodged at the root of her tongue like a fishbone, leaving only fear behind. Shen returned to the fourth studio image. The girl still held a finger to her lips, but a door had appeared in the green screen behind her. No such door had existed the night before. Mirror-written words marked its frame: BEFORE TEN. They reached the mall at 9:23. Yellow tape blocked the studio, and a sponsor notice blamed an electrical fault. Shen went around through the fire stairs. Lin picked the old rear lock with a hairpin. When he looked at her, she said, “Poor people learn plenty of undignified skills.”