"I know," Shuyin said quietly, thinking of research facilities and needles and the slow drain of life force until nothing remained. "Believe me, I know."
"One month," her brother said again, making it sound like both a promise and a warning.
"One month," she confirmed. "I'll see you then, brother."
She withdrew from the connection gently, severing the mental link before he could press further, before her carefully constructed composure could crack and the truth could spill out.
Shuyin opened her eyes.
The traffic was still gridlocked around them, cars barely inching forward. The van hadn't moved more than a few meters during the entire mental conversation.
Yuyan was watching her with those perceptive silver eyes. "You okay? You looked really far away just then."
"Just thinking," Shuyin said, forcing a smile. "About family."
"The person you saw?" Yuyan asked quietly.
"Yes," Shuyin admitted. "It was... someone I haven't seen in a long time."
