The striped candle on the far side of the room was making her feel woozy with its champagne gasses wafting into her nose. At least she hoped it was just that.

Her pale arms, covered in black clay hung limp at her sides as she stared at her sculpture. Her blue eyes were squinted into slits as she scrutinized her creation-in-progress. The figure of a woman in mid-twirl seemed to be dancing in the flickering candlelight. It almost seemed that the woman was taunting her. Her sculpture was defying the laws of reality and dancing while she couldn’t even leave the room.

She touched the small gray band embedded into her neck like a constricting python. It vibrated slightly at her touch. A warning.

She smiled slightly. All she needed was some candlelight to help bend the rules of her reality.