“Will,” I say, reaching the camellias. I press my hand against my chest, trying to catch my breath. Deep pinks and oranges stain the sky.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nSfaawbXw
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“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6thZbgAstZ
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“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNAVc7PGmf
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“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHwzBj6K7f
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My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptsHf9aEs3
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She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9BOksigGl
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpbiS02Mcx
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNJXEVEt5w
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeAN8btUJM
“Cami.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWN98sxJsBN
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My head snaps up. Roanna stands there, her giant curls wilder than usual. Her specs reflect the sunset, so I can’t see her eyes.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpK2WnKJ8t
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In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGKLXxsCPp
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“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYplYCAWzrY
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Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlp6EYUv02
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“Cami,” an even softer voices says.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJDkwzQiih
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImG8nfkpIi
All three of us look up. It’s Will, but it looks like I’m seeing him through a frosted window. I release Roanna and take three big steps forward so I’m directly in from of him. I hesitantly reach a hand out, almost expecting it to go through him.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvxkD5Zv1D
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdP6FazCLg
“Cami! No!” Madame Pommier says sharply. “If you touch him with this closing in progress, we have no idea what it could do. You could be pulled into his time.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZs356ePgz
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“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvRQEWhqHV
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Her gaze is off to the side. I follow her gaze and see a pretty, young nurse standing there, faint and transparent like Will is. She watches us with wide eyes.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLwsaTos0J
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“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48a84P6AAh
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“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2QdqLNjrM
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtH9DMN53yh
There’s a finality to her gaze that terrifies me, but the sun is going down quickly, and there’s very little chance to think about it.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgaHIR7RRd
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTB4zoivuYn
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She shakes her head and walks over to the nurse, holding a hand up. Turning her head to face Will, she says, “Just do it. Touch her.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmwu6IcneK
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtLH6cggCc
“Stop it. I can’t allow you to do this,” Madame Pommier says. But she seems unable to move out of the circle she’s made in the dirt.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyzYrJ0gKM
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Will’s hand closes around mine, and the image of him begins to sharpen at the same time as Roanna’s image begins to dim and frost over. She smiles at me. Her hand is locked with the nurse’s.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMQiNcUnyJ
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmZmOHAE7k
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y8TkjWven
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5SThZyjwY
I want to reach out toward her, but Will anchors me in place. He pulls me closer to his body—which is warmer than it’s ever been before—and watches her. Through him, I can see he recognizes within Roanna the longing to be elsewhere and how it feels to belong somewhere other than where you are.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0H139U4qAv
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOuXggBMJ1
“It’s a psychiatric hospital,” I tell her, even though it’s already too late. “You don’t want to go there. You don’t want to be a patient.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiJqGaRIJst
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKqJPeAYzl
“A patient?” Now I hear the smile in her words. “I intend to be a doctor. Cami, there’s one more thing you need to do.”797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyeQJlQqnH
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8UmpH8awd
And somehow, I know what it is.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFZgY25eSi
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFtsl7yVQO
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SHBaJsPoF
797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81t4AGqRC4
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.797Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLS2rTKG3x
Penana
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