“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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrOXVqru8T
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Fi4qKFG7y
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDLkJCBU2G
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd6cl7w4uA
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQxzkeCuyn
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFeRtUrglXt
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLILqkj3GUv
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShsYUiErIJ
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSfKQN3BxS
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6EjHpeeMKT
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eKlABouJe
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4Qu6yewXZ
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKtOC9gWQF
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpYSDsssot
“Cami.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2L9BavF7f
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXp9l6cuAB
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyL2Fh0Bvb
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIeIfg41HW9
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzQQW83FPP
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG69yaIy60F
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxZihQD55M
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DLpBw67Bz
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUK5P66Se2l
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirS9xVSFMS
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuQRdv7BZLx
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJrrrDEafV
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQv0PWJ1fSe
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgN1VqV0AdK
“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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXKTHYEQFd
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSbFvi1XkP
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbaawYyrLVf
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqI5lrd4sSC
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtbhNOS6uu
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mFcfZsTt6
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHEP2N9A7S
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7MisSiakI
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyzUcrmj3H
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNL8VIyK9lM
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSrY1blIB9
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNXRQETPfJ
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZqqX1QiLQ
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1KGZDnAWZc
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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrf5gaP8ra
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRGl4R2cST
“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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J6mQGH2mw
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11M3dghGjg
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPk0egQs0J6
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpakqaHr66
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcM4mHonfIx
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgvV4t6lDS
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.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2Vj6aqKTQ
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsfdsKLQq0
“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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4eS0Irx96
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfkPtZwn9D
“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.”774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBjtxENNJ2
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVHEp6mqMo
And somehow, I know what it is.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0HDCpYtlF
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKmBihQ1mO
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmCvjW8yVT
774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMihRgVEh0A
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.774Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVXLOs7tlV
Penana
search
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
