“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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0pGKWYY5G
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBhLb81OyY
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJb01KGpp3
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaB5ewIAy6
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmq5Ba3orHY
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJiVAcpGG3
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKAWkqY9h4
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXuyCJ7s20
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39ImMV22ds
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvQ0wihrut
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkayc3V313y
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyKAC5E4t6
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0H1r80CHJ
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3A5x9W2tH
“Cami.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTpszb1sxg
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHl927lccKG
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtJ0h63vgw
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tzI9HY2t7
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6RQa8Jfwv
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8ImVdvw1e
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeB4QCqIGS
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEq3jpvxTA
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9cKFIPPMXi
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxoGOA42F5
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjUXK8P22p
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbC3fwXLx8
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4LIQUaFAh
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNNC7i8psV
“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.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbrPleYK6x
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3TtDyj4g7
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wNUBF98Rv
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1TqamIxxR
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmQDCZuGgT
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6X9r3YaTP
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdezLxoQwRN
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fLcNKfPiP
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcny4w5ecep
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPEgB0FhFJ
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlF0mIizfq
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKvsyVPlCd
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8OxfWG3Yi
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.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRhy2h1UL0
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9WYh9Ngwrz
“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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNHylWf6qI
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqXvV5zpg0
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPRYPAeZZp
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvO7r8kOUf0
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yeD8Z13Cg
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVq9Ps4JZem
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.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeabhT4ycH
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEh5D9yM5uq
“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.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBPrby1HJb
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVccfNrU30M
“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.”792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8x4UN1BRUp
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstDEZxbfbZ
And somehow, I know what it is.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYaveMFEpd
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WGLeICQxQ
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6CJPnJuip
792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QUavYNzcK
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.792Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyWlF9qF3M
Penana
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