Chapter Two: The Price of Ten Seconds

The more people he moved and the more improbable the alteration, the heavier the memory taken in payment. His phone vibrated. "Ji" appeared on the screen. "Still awake?" his sister asked. "Almost done." "Ying saw your announcement and nearly jumped off the rehabilitation machine. She moved her session so she can watch." In the background, Ying shouted, "Ignore the internet! You're the best!" Lin gripped the phone as if their voices might leak away. "Ji, why did we take that kitchen picture on my fifteenth birthday?" She paused. "You forgot? A typhoon cut the power. You missed an internet-café tournament and sulked all day. Ying and I baked a terrible cake on the gas stove.