“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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdHvUwRnXC
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj38gX7inxZ
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeCwXOfPXS
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHFMxX7yAE
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNJL4xk7CN
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08WpRnriaZ
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0hh3PCtuV
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8AAJqyhuF
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jz78GVBVT
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRDIqB0JbR
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbnNxhD2T8
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy9atkk8q6
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLE5CMZFkz
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCKgppEpNh
“Cami.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKTORvWyud
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQG9OVYnvfj
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuU3KwrRfx
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYi2bpD3EH
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvCXYhOh4z
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlL0AaFvm4
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PqP6Udo5I
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8bPOiFmr0
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf4eaoSS9Mw
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gxkh97JTq
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8FhqlubLu
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gDuvZWiDC
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgNE5XvN7b
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6qMuqRqbU
“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.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuPXrImbZV
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWPkaeeITD
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLomfhYrY7W
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbST1WawHOU
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdvQJNOd2s
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15uRkpIrwt
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6Ie1MMKDk
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnDOsMdEKr
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjh1Oi0jVr3
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsifB8mjQC0
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcsKX7LWdR
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5Z4FUJGiI
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgTO3hqa7R
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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.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9P47WC85F
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUyeA0RbqB
“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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7P0UJxMEM
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLNprjUFYX
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbkiNLAgSy
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyIad6Ii9g
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVUL4zyzFO
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DF0nSJVYl
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.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOmixdEehM
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX87c8nf0j6
“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.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2iEeRGxSN
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnicKfULI2
“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.”793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZeYeMjsTc
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrzqbm0AWR
And somehow, I know what it is.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsH1jrbMsd
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOT5FDiAPp
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VeMsnaviU
793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmHF0jLGGb
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.793Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87gg7yMaPc
Penana
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