“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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPxc3pZYHZ
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“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxuU8S7mxj
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“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9qiBDtETOy
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“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0yZTI419X
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My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuXRqDuZtF
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She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhDYQ1lseQ
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“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ717ZngRgf3
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“Cami.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6v9346jzeX
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjlFMgGI49
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In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWjEeYTaew
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“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIbW3WFtAC
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Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNR6tbXbGz
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“Cami,” an even softer voices says.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vjwJSbBd4
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCcIXpAqth
701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pynsEYRBW
“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.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6OD8EOniD
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“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6qfpKECp8
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPBcKnOX2k
701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAFfg8cPZ5
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRX0zi4tmIf
701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74nM31SUPS
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw5SUE6NAs
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoAmX9lplY
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRu1qwIoSeo
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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.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN6TXABW4o
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“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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHjcr90lx7
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DWLeSLvEM
701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPS8GhDsfO
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1SvI6iKdt
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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.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFd3uVYogMF
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“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.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepZkISAxFi
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“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.”701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmE7LExqZrX
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And somehow, I know what it is.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrPhLzP0wX
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“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsRkVd25mc
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The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.701Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9niBvpyn1
Penana
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