Chapter 2On the elevator, Mistress Yuriko stared straight ahead, not turning to even acknowledge us. It was like she was in another world; her attention wholly facing inside her. There was a shield of calm around her. As we descended, people got on and off the elevator but one look at her face and no one said a word, no matter how boisterous they’d been before the elevator arrived. When the elevator finally stopped on the main floor, everyone stood back to allow her to exit first. She strode through the lobby, the crowd parting like the Red Sea to allow her past. We were right behind her. We followed her down a long hallway to the backstage of the hotel theater.
She walked onto the stage and looked around. Ropes hung from the ceiling and there was a microphone on a stand, but other than t
