I used to love Froot Loops as a kid because they’re colorful (I’ve always been more artist than food critic), and the pillow was a present from Jordan

I may love where the pillow came from more than the pillow itself…

But I’ll get you your own xiao zhentou

Then I guess mine would need to be string cheese themed

Either have a picture on it or be shaped like one

Ooh maybe peelable?

Long pause.

I miss you

I… may have been typing that and deleting it and typing it again

Thanks for saying it first

I may have been typing and deleting something else

Three words

Chang’e. Has. Diarrhea.

You should keep her out of your rotation for the rest of the night

She ate too much Sichuan food

Maybe that’s why you didn’t fall asleep earlier

You’re ridiculous

Sleep loose

♥

And Chloe?

It’ll be ok

Someway somehow pieces will fall

And even though it doesn’t feel like it, you will have some control over parts of it

It’s just too fresh for you to see all that right now

Okay

Thanks

♥

Chloe CHAPTER 49 WANG DENTAL PALACE

December 27

I hated spit and pus and blood, not to mention the screeching noises and scent of sterilization, but I went with my parents to the office the next day. Sunday. I wasn’t sure if the Kuos had blacklisted us from all church activities or if we were hiding our faces because we had “no face,” but either way, I needed to rack up mooncake points. Lots of them.

And yet, once I was in the back room of Wang Dental Palace preparing to pour Mrs. Lee’s impression, I regretted my decision to come here today.

I gloved and goggled up, sprayed down her impression with way too much CaviCide disinfectant, then prepared the yellow stone mixture. My parents would be so disappointed to learn I’d forgotten the composition of the stone—calcium something?—but they should just be grateful I wasn’t gagging like I had the first time.

I turned on the… vibrating machine—almost called it a vibrator, but no—and pressed the impression tray to it, my hand and the rest of me shaking with each rapid pulse. It made me feel numb, maybe a little invincible in a weird way, like time had slowed but I was still at full speed, Flash-style. Even though it was gross that I was holding a saliva-covered object that was a negative rendering of someone’s teeth, I did kind of like pressing the thick stone mixture to the impression with my spatula and seeing the vibrations turn it to flowing liquid. Watching molecules shift before your eyes—that was the kind of science I could get on board with, though fewer bodily fluids would be great, please.