“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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SyiAkxyDh
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZRNviccTH
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrExPiRIi6
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6QRnhJfzi
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXjnMTiBhp
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYw3sS6jGU
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4obIpaSSmF
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8A1fdgGcm
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWV2p7ZunO
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdn6S9YF8gC
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwGOaY8q1v
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFfUiGkxAa
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK260pCBlDG
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkqPDHmFTU
“Cami.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEbLj2t0dp
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKK80GRN7qz
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiNdOUCNco
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6aPeXACZN
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hBXlK6hKX
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85AgkACNy7
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHI8QlQaFx0
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRSRhfkdjh
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HAoON6MNk
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOr6BnAkE9
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVCcjRs6Bc
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZqyoiMceD
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthrpSSjSpO
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qYeysQ8CT
“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.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxreAiPRC4w
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWoM3IL7Xr
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iCjrl1ud7
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUolWFnqwf
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBDQQjHRSY
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2jEiDbp0S
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSAFmuV3qN
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTY6MlcsOC
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGqzgKTvaF
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmsOdKnslP
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRWmIznEnS
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8siIqijo0S
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6m6pLbc6I
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcjPreijZg
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.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs1qw928vud
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYO3N1VUFYD
“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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6D6QxOYvXD
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMRW4CiEvM
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLkWu4aMIr
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuxYUuLO0W
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHWgpNc1ne
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy4TuQFkv7
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynn3qV8hou
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9oGxvmMB9
“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.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovR8FRDRnq
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhF21n1N0I
“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.”777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxXf9KQJ1D
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXSZRjm2HG
And somehow, I know what it is.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfEpUHtwP1
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXB1arfJcf
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlhNs5LLzc
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqBJPxmLbo
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRpSf7GWgE
Penana
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