Something moved beneath the skin of Tang Mei's throat.
It travelled upward in one thin line, paused beneath her jaw, then disappeared before I could decide whether I had actually seen it or not.
Unfortunately, the plants had seen it too.
The grass surrounding Tang Mei flattened farther away from her shoes, while the flowers clinging to the nearest house pulled so hard against their roots that dirt scattered across the wall. Even the vine wrapped around a drainpipe climbed higher, apparently willing to live on the roof forever if the alternative was staying close to her.
I was pretty sure that if the plants didn't need soil for their roots, they would have picked up their skirts like a Victorian lady and ran away as fast as they could.
On a side note... or not a side note... the main note? Was that a thing?
Anyway, Tang Mei was still breathing.
And that was the problem.
