Chapter Three: A Living Person's Ticket

“You chose the worst possible time,” Helan Ye said. “The best time was before Shen Yan vanished.” She took his hand. “Open it.” He pressed her ink mark to the glass. Blackness poured over her arm. Lin Wu fell through blinding gold and landed on polished marble. The Mirror Ball had no end. Crystal chandeliers receded beyond sight. An unmoving moon hung outside tall windows. Hundreds of guests turned endlessly, white veils covering faces that had been rubbed blank. Blindfolded children played stringless violins, while music issued from the guests' chests. Lin Wu's shoes began a waltz against her will. Helan Ye caught her waist and guided her against the current. “Meet no one's eyes. Answer no name. Above all, don't look into a mirror here.”