Chapter Four: The One Who Came Back

You woke believing you had lost seven hours." "My parents. My mother—" "Her memories. Her feelings. The only thing I failed to copy was her death." "Five." Shen Yao's face emerged beneath the white umbrella. It smiled. "He made a counterfeit. Now the counterfeit holds my door open." Her life had a seam seven years ago, polished too smooth to see. Lu Zhi stepped in front of her. "She saved Lin Mo. She knows how many sugars I take and counts tiles when she's afraid. Are those counterfeit too?" "Four." The Shepherd's mouths touched his neck. Shen Yao seized his hand. "Look at me. Name one thing no one but you can claim." "I stole my sister's medal when I was twelve," he said through his teeth. "I hid it at Pier Six.