“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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjIX76TgF1
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“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXw4yK7jFh
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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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHloMu1SdU8
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“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLaj62Tupu
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQ8ZUgAIo1
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftgUy3mJxq
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She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88mUyXjata
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PmDT07zdV
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbQ9mUsJCx
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSW8Nh5zS7E
“Cami.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH6ua2nufI
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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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6dMHiE7Fq
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In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEB761j7z6H
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R5QfZSdIU
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuTUoBqQEo
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZqIBACrD4
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbSzMIhVGn
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXaMDk32XI
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEAP7Y8FIo
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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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgW6V2AcHI3
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuSBMIxJMO
“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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpRg4ySjzx
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIFXNMdZDq
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspAohHuicp
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnusiRCh2bD
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuL5ZwLUCsT
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“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM0y47wFVsN
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWG49jeSiA
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRiB0HznDZ
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBqkUeVNE3
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xrqjMYKUL
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgEfSWa7dQ
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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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wx1rYCLXu
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3i6Glusvd
“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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeTb4L7ZGOq
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNSCCvg3c9
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE1456GDuj
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYO2BdT3ob
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoFte4GVpm
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Gc4Tk22Kz
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.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKKWS3OuxD
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVd2rNTZZa
“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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFqljVrTFj
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yK46lQluh
“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.”780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhvxEsxG5S
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And somehow, I know what it is.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKNeRmqvai
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“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUk9C64Jq7
780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeGQgRVrwF
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.780Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGCpizbD0D
Penana
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