Chapter Three: A Living Person's Ticket

The mark appeared only in reflections. Helan Ye had warned her that the contract granted one formal entrance. Once inside, she had to leave before the music ended. The Mirror Ball did not recognize clocks, only songs. Anyone who completed a dance there forfeited a memory. Lin Wu planned to wait until night, but Tang Li's name card left no time. During rehearsal, Gu Chenzhou ordered all twenty-four dancers onto a mirrored platform. Lin Wu saw twenty-four shadows in reality and only twenty-three in the glass. Tang Li's reflection was dancing in another direction. Lin Wu kicked over a water bottle and shorted a floor light. As the rehearsal halted, she slipped into the prop room. A hand emerged from a palm-sized makeup mirror.