Chapter Two: The Changing Photograph

It took him several seconds to remember where he was. Then he noticed something worse. A photograph on the wall showed him and Xingyao at an amusement park, but he could no longer remember what they had eaten that day. Cotton candy? Ice cream? Perhaps nothing. There was only a clean-edged hole in the memory. Three knocks came from the hall. Two short. One long. The rhythm of the black tower’s bell. Shen Yan picked up a paper knife and switched off the monitor. No shadow crossed beneath the door, though the motion-sensitive hallway light came on. A young woman spoke from outside. “If I were you, I wouldn’t rely on a blade softer than butter.” “Who are you?” “Someone who doesn’t want your name peeled off at 2:07.” The clock read 2:06.