Always stay sharp on railways and cruise ships for transit has a way of making everything clear.

They were a society whose chief vocations were to entertain and be entertained.

She felt so much aware of her own beauty it seemed inconceivable that everybody else wouldn't notice the difference too.

So this was betrayal. It was like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It left your mouth dry and will broken. It sapped your tears and made you hollow.

So this is how life was, she thought with a faint smile: It wore you down until you emerged at its wildest, most unexpected ends.

But in that moment she realized how false most smiles were and what a tremendous waste of time.

Among her other talents were forgetting what she did not like and ignoring what she preferred not to see.