“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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uPNFEbzhv
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKnBSKgK3T
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmuE4bV6Ls
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBtFMGZtqu
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDLqZli43p
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ267kIzX1Cz
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtLZSCJi41
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8gSV6tyDD
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yAt3sHh6d
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She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7VYIZcuLw
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6nHo3bP5X
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhMt8dsMjX
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“Cami.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzVELnjntD
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5a8mG4mSz5
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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqnW0vwJxo
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAv83NzhRw
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUXJ4nXfgg
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“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlgE4XgPtQ
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzS2dlJZGI
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1Z8lFwQzQ
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“Cami,” an even softer voices says.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeUeiKjCie
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAiLHnA7lN
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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjyezhivec
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iDP9NRV1X
“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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJkAwIArhG
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiM4rHMkUW
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WdKCMsfPV
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3Db5fu50L
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ918FBdu3tH
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUOHSbNKL3
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZB7QUx3DZ
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDHD97AgTh
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMK55B49fFi
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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwL6akGDsz
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“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwxsdSYcPL
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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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Vw6JY9JP9
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFP6iUQEZU
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPU5VDm2Oo
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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiRMIfuRbb
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcjTsadSro
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1igop7ydFV
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11u5uIPQE7
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr8UTuhOM5
“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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg84WqUwqnx
801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiSgtmLRfd
“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.”801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3rD4Ecp8p
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And somehow, I know what it is.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3GvsELF5p
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“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aJwg8AyXB
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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.801Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEf3CTqgaIE
Penana
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