“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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvDSdTB7Fj
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JQo3AcHT9
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuoTJlzid7
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2O8p3bLFa
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaxrEOLVYj
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrLAcV71GI
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbePeP95yj
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgK0AWmesF
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRFrNdcCFJ
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEM5ZSG6OLg
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOz6Xh5vrU
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3zsVTvZsM
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYAjuuFZKmN
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHPijUVLEfa
“Cami.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8OflRtK8a
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5tiK8SVB0
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1eCOXQ6pC
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPzjOBoCBN
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYojdRDzmL
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ItdYXWJTG
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluhebxT6OI
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVctPFPHQl
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2ZteRNQqy
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sLxdiPTIO
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmv5OSWAfN9
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTER3nZvRp
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQdanSboYh
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzCGK8CZ0W
“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.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxES4LPWUhO
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZflRYZxI7
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmH1bnAshq
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxIGVohRum5
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXWltOlui8
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk32AkSigie
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeS9W5Q4B3j
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4lOZ4tsne
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpymiuV7aY
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtCJXXSbJM
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIqNE3xEKo
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN43SD4DfOC
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5jxcpgvtY
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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.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PcpWw9IMn
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIq9PbIba9L
“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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflZSfnhue1
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZiTtFgJGW
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlgOPMK4zf
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mzpRIZQhG
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrBEcnmI0G
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBp4PaMy22
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.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVxoheSn8i
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbeyTZbFmT
“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.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTqMnKoFHg
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixk6IVxrWB
“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.”804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjgHivIKaG
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3goV7sGmy
And somehow, I know what it is.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7gRhhUSVT
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ljr72Djna
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75j4pzRimx
804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAEYwJjrIi
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.804Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKxRgXl6lb
Penana
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