“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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡym15aagFMF
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3buxHEgKn
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYQCwluUgZ
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9aJ44vOXR
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4opViwUfOV
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTG5zuVHmO
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNpkk4cBNi
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8IsugqEmy
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz442yKC4Hn
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8gnMhRbMS
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7o7Uhd4pV
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8JhX2ioTbw
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYK1n51eUs
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVVDVU2UWc
“Cami.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4aHa76zBS
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaGvIK59rX
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFqucG2ZvOW
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqqyMwOywD
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3dRRZu6Mj
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19fXCGNIx9
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAK96qqNM9d
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKq0unhgzq
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfctF2pBFCp
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPs5TtSageF
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gQfAakKrR
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ6Bgiottd
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavmhehGLaZ
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghIS33o7Xu
“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.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpPy6yPZXC
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaflixMXS4F
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd5AoSiF1N
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGVU1vTrNL
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uE3v8VNha
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwYgDMVWoq
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcT2YPyBR5W
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8wjHkxrHg
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg0mnLON7l
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvtd4Etk74
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwn7yaZaiqi
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEjaLbSoaC
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXKk8ihmC8
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56ml1Xm1NW
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.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk3nU12n5iz
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFWqSgCZrb
“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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiluv1SPWer
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdvVYNGI5V
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8kD63UDT4
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoCPS7y2Jc
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMf1KRvj3q4
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnc4YeMozJ
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.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPDwLuLVAO
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNsjh5uhKD
“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.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AlKGdd3TM
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUTQK514eP
“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.”627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqEk3WjZ2i
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrePFrPnoHy
And somehow, I know what it is.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq7eHI2CCG
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaeng8ktPJ
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuFtZ4UShx
627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtyPwKG9ep
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.627Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9vaU1eSd0
Penana
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