“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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBuF8Jsnue
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuGnQzZx9g
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwE05D04N4
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ341SSQ8umE
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZmv341TvO
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RJ1Wz21Tm
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXm7NF0DUh
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHoKi3dgD8
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcYb121zfR
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5U5jtZg9Y
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEytoc4PogS
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqt1yGNiSc
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVmBQskkMO
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuynwFZfXG8
“Cami.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUD7lCryzh
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VIUYcvL5s
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PIE0CJ0kP
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2KQOs9RMi
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbn8tDS03Y
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjG9pRVH6u
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRErf9CyJW
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnG4PNkgdM
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdM4iL4F3v
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPduMqyQXr3
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCpg6NbNxq
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG0MZVNY1vz
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KrKONRZOA
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ37PUHbsVw
“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.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TpOYI4GSN
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgKKZG3ozd
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW059UR0Pka
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzWBocoIHV
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKiFolP3DT
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmDg1lWgxzG
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfydx7p7jJq
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObKnGLdBiE
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZYK8hJlFm
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDdpjWynwd
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK5kTkHPVd
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTeZlYoxsvf
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuUGyooM3E
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKkpWvlpvt
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.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSRZQsBVFS
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByk7r4q7Nh
“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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd0yozfsdu
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡme05ALKtrJ
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxe3QVix1G
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFpNa7WZfm
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedjY7Y3znz
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29ejM3wcjQ
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.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgf2TxFmJUR
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtFl99vIWL
“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.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAOM8KAOI4
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMALBdVfbmC
“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.”736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQe0eorGag
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OhszSMKBy
And somehow, I know what it is.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEMIRA1Icd
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8jaULTVIW
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRfsoelz8B
736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAsUTQa9u6F
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.736Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeqE6Sn3vR
Penana
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