“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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3wZLy6rOM
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaX7yxAalO
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJDaNl8GOQ
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGBp8hQtFK
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEwAO6dF8H
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1aFrawoK22
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfW3f9gineJ
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J30hSKfYw
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMjl7ltr4I
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKwvIvO6Fl
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulAcL3Vurs
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIcRxLqyga
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gmjP7Uuja
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfc6ILA2c5
“Cami.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6FCUb9hpB
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oWZQOb6tE
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeZ5N5mcBi
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIDPSw7VGG
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpurxIsSZwe
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58kQ6bntBA
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHV3H7dvnCF
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQBjogfuvR
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GOSHTMDET
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD1e9mBoxu
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFJd9lLlV7
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4l42xtq25
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69v1euCQ97
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y3Fk5EAV6
“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.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrwtVRQxbt
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOuWuNsDZj
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3TldjzTCZ
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHLLLKau1u
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJIGqAZ37z
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkfI3YuDiX
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8T8i5Atzrx
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiaUOvFoZv
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThoNB2du1A
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkUsMv9Ik2
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LnYrzbHNi
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRy81xe0B6n
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgjhigE7lA
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugUlpnFjQx
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.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlFkfQEhp3
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXn7nE95KZ
“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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVx3kfvDSE
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLJ3r50QNAG
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxudJVa9xU
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkY4NdOFJ6
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13fT6bFLbu
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7W2NhpVVx
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.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYPJ5VwzHa
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMuMl96vqQ
“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.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdCqKFWoQh
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjD8yqPAZYm
“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.”734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6bQ5IWT1u
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirr9S37ZI6
And somehow, I know what it is.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOWFygMI88
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHCpxDfbyU
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIrKl2sCbq
734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzdukZD06Z
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.734Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuQ6TV1ZN2
Penana
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