Classical music filled the banquet hall, but Cherry could not relax.
She stayed close to Gilbert as the opening dance began. The performers were barely dressed, their movements unsettling. Something about the way they moved made her wonder whether they had been given the same kind of liquid she had been forced to drink.
She could not know. That uncertainty made watching harder.
Her fingers tightened around Gilbert's arm.
He glanced at her, then gently raised a hand to shield her eyes.
"Close your eyes if you can't watch."
Cherry did. She could still hear the music, but she no longer had to follow the dancers' movements or wonder what was happening to them.
She waited for it to end.
When the music changed, Gilbert lowered his hand. The host announced the beginning of the party and spoke at length in Mandarin.
Cherry understood too little to follow the rules. She looked around instead, watching the guests turn their attention toward the women.
