From the ensuite bathroom, the sound of the shower stopped. A new, nervous energy jolted through Shuyin. He's coming out.
Her brother's laughter was a final, whispering ripple. "Then go. Be ordinary, sister. For once in your eternal life, try being simply, maddeningly, human. See how it fits."
Her brother's teasing voice was still a shimmer in her mind. Try being simply, maddeningly, human.
Panic, hot and unfamiliar, fluttered in her chest. She couldn't face him, not after the failed enchantment, not after the blush, not while feeling so unraveled.
With a swift, fluid motion, she slid down from her seated position and stretched out flat on the bed. In the same instant, she snatched the edge of the heavy silk duvet and pulled it up and over her head, plunging herself into a dark, muffled cave of fabric. She lay perfectly still, holding her breath, pretending to be a shapeless mound of sleep.
The bathroom door opened.
