Lei Ying and Four; Rui and Zizi.
The courtyard spun. Nausea rose in her throat. Gasping hard, she clutched her chest, trying to breathe. Something tickled her wrist, and she watched as the red string broke and fell onto the drawing, weaving across the four figures.
And one by one, all her missing memories returned.
One Three, One Four
In light of recent developments, the Winter Masquerade Ball had been postponed to late spring, and it was in full swing tonight. The bass on the dance floor was thumping so loudly Yiran’s entire body vibrated.
He yelled above the music, “I’m getting a drink!”
“What’d you say?” Mai hollered back, her flouncy ballgown twirling as she continued to groove. Not wanting to shout anymore, Yiran mimed what he’d just said. She waved him off, shimmying her way to another circle of friends.
The beat dropped, and the dance floor went wild. Yiran fought his way through the throng of cadets and guests. Most of them still had their masks on, but Yiran had lost his. He found Teshin staring at the various large bowls of brightly colored liquid on a long table, trying to decide between what looked like a toxic-green lime slush with radioactive-blue jelly and another concoction that could either be a strawberry daiquiri or the blood of one’s enemies.
Casting a dubious eye at the bowls, Yiran opted for ginger ale from a can. Despite the enclosed space, he felt the chill from outside. A freak spring snowstorm had hit the city the night before, and temperatures had plunged. The designer suit he’d gotten to match Mai’s dress did little to keep him warm. At least it was a little quieter in this part of the room, and he didn’t have to scream every word.
“Not dancing?” he said.
“Maybe later,” Teshin replied, settling on the ruby-red beverage.
Boisterous laughter came from a corner. Two girls were doing funny dances that had gone viral on social media, giggling at each other as if they’d had too much to drink. One had an elegant headdress of pearls and beads shaped like an open fan, the other wore a bejeweled rabbit maskthat matched her black and fuchsia ensemble, but Yiran recognized Tesha and Ada instantly.
He nudged Teshin. “Glad our president got some time off to have fun. She’s done a great job with this event.” He stifled a yawn. To stabilize his spirit core, he’d been put on a strict regimen of rest and nutrition. It was still an hour until midnight, but two past his healer-dictated bedtime.
“Are you tired?” Teshin said, looking concerned. “You could go back to the dorm to rest.”
“Nah, it’s fine. They haven’t announced Best Dressed yet. Mai will kill me if we win and I’m not around.” Yiran rubbed his hands together. He should’ve asked the bartender for a cup of hot tea instead.
Teshin nudged him. “Do you want to have a sparring session at my place this weekend?”
“Sure, I need to start training again.” Yiran patted his stomach. “All the eating and bedrest is making me lose my strengthandmy abs. I could test Tesha’s new iteration of my stabilization gloves while I’m over.”
“Oh... yeah. I think she’ll be around.” Teshin faced the dance floor, suddenly mumbling. “I was also thinking of grabbing dinner after. You and me—if you’re free, that is. There’s a new restaurant in Tangren Quarter with amazing soup dumplings. The reviews say they’re better than Laodifang’s.”
Even under the flashing lights in the ballroom, Yiran could see Teshin’s flushed cheeks. Was it the alcohol or—
Oh.
Initially, Yiran had sought Teshin’s company because they were part of the esteemed Mak clan. But a true and deep friendship had formed between them, and he didn’t want to jeopardize that.
Be happy... fall in love.
The memory of a gray-eyed boy was imprinted on his heart, and he didn’t think he would be ready for anyone else in the foreseeable future. He knew he had to work on himself first. Still, a dinner with a friend didn’t have to be anything more than that.
“Amazing soup dumplings it is. I’ll drive.”
“Great.” Teshin beamed. “The girls are calling for us.”
“Go ahead. I’ll find you later.”
Yiran had spotted Ash slinking toward the ballroom exit.
“Fancy seeing you, Song da shaoye,” he teased, catching up with his brother by the double doors. “Didn’t you graduate decades ago? Here to relive your youth, old man?”
Ash threw him a dirty look. “Aging is a privilege, you punk. One of the new qi sensors they installed on campus near the ballroom went offline. I was nearby, so I came to check. Seems fine. Must be the weather.”
“Rui did a sweep earlier. All’s good, no Revenants around,” Yiran said, following Ash to the reception room outside the event hall.
