Kiki walked around the room once and quickly found the torn-up photograph and picture frame in the trash bin. She crouched down and pieced the fragments together one by one until the photo was whole again.
The Kiki in the photograph and the Kiki outside it gazed at each other.
No one spoke. The room was utterly silent.
Holding her phone, Lu Qi Zhen hurried toward the restrooms. As expected, there was a long line outside the women's room as well. She joined the queue and moved slowly forward with the crowd.
At the same time, her two fingers flew across the screen as she continued editing the message she had not finished earlier. Just as she was about to reach the restroom entrance, she finally pressed send.
Lu Qi Zhen felt slightly relieved. She had finally sent everything she needed to say. Discussing such things through text messages might have seemed less than forthright, but if they met face-to-face, she was afraid she would not be able to say a single word.
Her phone rang just then, and Lu Qi Zhen's breath caught in her throat again. She picked up the phone, and the familiar name appeared on the caller ID, without any surprise.
"Hello..."
"I don't understand. What did you mean when you said I should go back to District 1 first? Aren't you coming back with me, or are you not planning to come back at all?"
Lu Qi Zhen's scalp prickled. She held the phone in one hand while her other hand dug deeply into her hair, gripping several locks at the roots. "...I'll definitely go back, but I want to stay in District 12 by myself for a while first."
"What exactly have I done to disappoint you?"
"No, it's not your fault..." Lu