“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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyk8jUMkzH
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWWO0c8gXx
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKE9uWGalp
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr5PDr7gQL
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ459Y9s3b32
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJTh9yzKBK
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLuOLQ6ZDB
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupaWi65ese
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2oT8F20az
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOEag1YaQH
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoemAYtcRp6
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOPVNI65Kn
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaQ7fSuyQm
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDZwibzmqE
“Cami.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9BMGOj1Ft
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAtfxW45vR
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0Pul1LJaF
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyIP7a0Pkg
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXD8VZVYszW
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4FelTG2ma
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKm6NXSFLhC
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmthK4Bm6k
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWQVfu5tLg
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGoEZkICXc
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2fMGY1wtT
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMqxj5CxJy
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURGgQTwPyA
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7idcqaceAf
“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.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeTNq5Ii0y
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZi4WxLBOnr
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUf7CwTdIRN
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEB4Kuymoe
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbdO8LctJu
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3gvLI2YPp
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUfi1NUY3W
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4rwnDZRBD
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAot4dhqtvD
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWxR9dW7As
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdonmMZ1iHO
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wbsYDW4sx
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3tzJY0iqO
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3KmQXXS4f
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.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ25PoBaoO
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I9YEI5i4b
“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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHz8cOshPp
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfyHbGThnk
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYy0FDB0eU
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJx1CKf001E
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLhKTj0AO0
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95PnUPh438
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.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop1EH6SXFX
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG3vfemJ9x
“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.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlBf97BmFI
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUK7cqpoux
“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.”726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkTfjHCiZR
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡonhcO4Y025
And somehow, I know what it is.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsh6rVwYbEj
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Tj9XtNRnG
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpDytd4fB5
726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPHn5N49tJ
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.726Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ13ZAeCSps
Penana
search
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
