Chapter Three: Wuyin Street

Lin fell into the bedroom. The shelves displayed certificates bearing both their names. Family photographs covered the wall—four people in every one, each image real enough to make him shake. When he touched a frame, crimson notes crawled across it. [THIS VERSION HAS BEEN RETIRED.] [DELETION DATE: JULY 14.] [AUTHORIZING PARTY: LIN MO.] “Impossible.” The girl approached. A transparent cavity occupied the center of her chest. Through it he saw Xu and Chen struggling over the device on the warped street beyond. “You were seven,” she said. “They made you forget me before they would save Mom. It wasn’t your fault.” “Are you Xiaoman?”