Chapter 17Sukanya took the narrow stairwell sideways with one hand on Chiho and one on the handrail. The stairs were as steep as a ladder and each step made her wince inside. The black walls held a slapdash collage of concert flyers and band stickers. Heavy rock music blew up the stairway, fast and angry. A wooden sign with “The Lost Melody,” the name of the club, hung on the wall.
The bouncer on the bottom landing, in a worn black leather jacket with pyramid studs, was a door in himself. He put out a hand to stop Chiho, but she spoke to him in a loud voice.
The bouncer looked at the people coming down the stairs and he poked a finger at Sukanya, who instinctively backed off. “How old?” he asked in English.
“What are you talking about?” Chiho stepped close enough to his pyramid studs to
