“Don’t worry, it can’t be that scary,” I reassure her. “The ghosts from the escape rooms I’ve been in before were pretty polite. And they’re legally not allowed to hurt you.”

“And if they do,” Oliver adds, “I’ll fend them off for you. My dad made me take a bunch of self-defense classes when I was a kid—I’m honestly kind of upset that nobody has ever tried to start a fight with me before. I feel like my martial arts skills are going to waste, so if I get to punch a ghost—”

“Which isn’t going to happen,” I emphasize. “Nobody’s punching anyone.”

“Right,” Oliver says, holding out his hands in a placating gesture. “It’ll be very peaceful. Nothing to be nervous about. I bet the ghosts will even be all talkative and friendly.”

“Um, I don’t want to make small talk with them either,” Daisy says, looking faintly alarmed. “I’m awful at small talk.”

“The ghosts will be mildly friendly,” I settle on. “And Oliver will look out for you.”

Daisy swallows but sinks back in her seat.

“Just how accurate is this information?” Cyrus asks.

Oliver winks at him. “You’ll see, won’t you?”

* * *

Shockingly, Oliver proves to be pretty reliable.

Two stone lions snarl at us from the gates as we follow Wang Laoshi in, weaving our way around the red-painted, zigzagging bridge, over the ponds swimming with koi fish and lotus flowers. The teahouse stands just ahead of us on slender stilts, creating the illusion that the grand, multitiered building is floating above the water.

“… used to function as an actual teahouse,” Wang Laoshi is explaining over his shoulder, waving to the glossy pillars and gleaming tiles like he built the place with his own hands. “It was only recently that they decided to renovate it and repurpose it as an escape room, but they’ve preserved much of the original architecture, and inside, you can find a wealth of information on the importance of teahouses—and tea itself—in Chinese culture. We’ve booked multiple rooms, so more than one group will be able to go in at once. At the end of it, you’ll be ranked according to how long it takes you to escape, and the winners will receive two stunning tea gift sets of their choosing …”

“Are you ready?” Cyrus asks me as the rest of the group scatters into private conversations and preparations, the buzz of competition building in the air.

“Obviously,” I say, smoothing out my bangs. “Not sure if I’m more ready than Lydia though.”

We both glance at the girl, who’s quite literally bouncing on the balls of her feet, as if she’s planning on sprinting inside the second they open the doors.

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone can be more ready than Lydia,” Cyrus remarks. “That doesn’t mean she’s going to win though. We will.”