“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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzS0I1QiTGx
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“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF7yBkFzbs
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjamJhe0aUa
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“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs13m1kBvm9
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My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUTBn4IXHY
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She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0od7OffoW
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“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fhFJ1dnSW
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“Cami.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaoFIjQdeVI
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9StSLGNgqs
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In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzPufjJPuF
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“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWt5gGfd6r
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Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QQ9iCauzX
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“Cami,” an even softer voices says.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbis3Cei1z
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmdDZ9L0KM
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“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.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZCWxZdRpC
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“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqY1zepcxKJ
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGKoRvcdQU
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“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWd7Wc4faHF
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“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtPbNCw2Ue
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAo3ggToNM
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsqaZbJPzg
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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.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCGvRhr97L
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“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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4m4DXEqBW
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB9YC0Suy7
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“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4fcfuoZaQ
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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.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFkvPU5NGi
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“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.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9dTCDf7s2
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“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.”728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmeFLDXjWS
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And somehow, I know what it is.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqOdClD9w9
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“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VlM7YgCE4
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The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.728Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDis52irtC
Penana
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