“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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QdiEjRjfb
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ap2dYul69
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin0LlzzpMU
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJ9dSn4sG3
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7WtKO55ae
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcC04pDxNvv
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLYYEv6i7M
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53NlHzfUuc
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSMZ80beWN
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQGkLjOP68
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscJH1fqNJY
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYt7TPtT5z1
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtP9LwUg4ea
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptwTtZY4pZ
“Cami.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wbPe8GNNX
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKP6sbc08r
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5xYn4IlwN
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNbrSTDhxq
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2i12o24Kx
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPrhxA55RY7
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVq5SJHLV8g
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxgP7yBzMp
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKIEBop9X4
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4acNOM48T
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLfvN7zBiP
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3yHgJ3cuW
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCHSvM8PC7
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkO2Ochviy
“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.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwkwc95tRF
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpua3qrouP
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIhdoziplu
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhHvRyZX39
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡph7jDk6GQH
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zRndGASlJ
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGpfume2np
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1u2x09KP2O
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyvCK7ET6K
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBYcr0NOJA
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQP9r311pz
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXWh2ZmbGu
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gTDayr8Zz
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ980nEzsZ0m
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.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KQ3mIik5A
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiFYujdoIa
“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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn0yEseQl5s
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaZX468NhX
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VRQoRTIZK
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPOdNaReky
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRALKgFZAZM
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfcJoSUXOL
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEDI3CpCtM
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KuEfWaqvV
“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.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWbCMRtVXd
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlYSqjDi0y
“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.”746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhspSrfPSE0
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquAf2iYpxV
And somehow, I know what it is.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiv8DK2Dqd
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnx2IKjZyTI
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDFOhvY3nQ
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9PaHe8Pl0B
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFufhOAc8MO
Penana
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