“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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS2QrJaAZK
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ZrujY9mHh
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiHHbuFoo5
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFWkbdv1wW
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9P4mVGN4d
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nBOHWGqLk
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuxRbRf4e6
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KJP2ptcWq
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bkT2JX7lT
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOVGDx6uZL
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTdNJ41AvO
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumomAWSk0L
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHhRgDGIut
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwbfvMIKzM
“Cami.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡze33PtWaXQ
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8lJ4vV1R7
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bAiNLm06A
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy26g0YHTvc
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGL8snJVaYc
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5ac6UArlo
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnX4m1ULNz
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJM1SH51Gsc
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjtBo8ODmy
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatEP4QEuqo
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmvo8KiiPX
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCKELDXB0IN
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCP0o7ssvq
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ48UI5grCL
“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.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctQOWckYLq
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMS2tBkHtJ
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2csB42IRTu
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyjrszT7DA
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeB9WHGbEfW
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHdbWX42YE
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSL7xfMBaSh
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DORKNULpN
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1RAPLcFIR
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYRfsAHG3L
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd3uFGokQko
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIfnulRGLe
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsptJ1u09C
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHUSph9h4d
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.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4TM9H69Sr
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5apRma3097
“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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYXuvWirLa
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWQaozMgnP
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbqYEneQgQ
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kTEb3F6rm
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYPjzSPsTJ
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdjt81TOqr
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.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Q0STc4BrM
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLhOE6fSiE
“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.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIN1ooTTqq
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyKsIlMbmA
“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.”737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQWoV2hMOi
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB014jmqydG
And somehow, I know what it is.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcVPyIWQFF
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0V8CYR0aPv
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAfed9AmCG
737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlIbr2tdYC
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.737Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8tD1VIUEd
Penana
search
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
