“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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE7Pk5SKTy
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnJgCTmJOT
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ysTv1lgdI
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWGVdw9U15
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLy90BYVq6
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLouHRhbRjR
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqfzmcNyFB
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg7lOuUSY75
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5RISmvO1o
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfTuCmU1R5
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljRIn1Nmfv
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFU3K3rzuW
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD4pKxkVNg
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDIUSltChx
“Cami.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExDZgV8bW4
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClDMpXGTv7
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOcIQgtUgw
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMte8AbEH8
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhx3QLSR2m
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmBBKSSvgc
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXAoKwxfzz
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJfNbSyRtd
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHKYZ5z11a
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMy64mCrdRu
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4b5asUpFW
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ587DUuOAPQ
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxUv9wpUPz
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCr5ncEJ1mS
“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.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcg5nVWAhW2
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwzA6VVxEr
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgorItzqO9f
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQeZAw5OY2
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NmVXV0oTr
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQhoMqH8iB
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBd2Kyr9JMV
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z3UPk1yFM
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnYY975wvv
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxtxs89H6Gt
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytTmMGYhmQ
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnbvkvLQmE
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl43xHnvYAl
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvx5Jtbjg8
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.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIbPusCrkD
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRvu5khhDR
“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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUVLAxHWne
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8SFaSbzZC
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvTfeCAeC7
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡON9w607dCt
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMbs9okfLj
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbY0eMGqNke
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.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrR5E3RWJKO
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0poIlTqGH
“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.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YuHYXxhuD
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOda2zd1m82
“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.”739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rkxz8Wksu
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACp7Zo2s87
And somehow, I know what it is.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMhEEkGplg3
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClwvSyyGFs
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9uoE6o1mt
739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqujXzXRvaS
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.739Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5DvtkedaR
Penana
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