“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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOybQgBf3r
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOGjdGfBez
“What are you doing here?” Madame Pommier stands up from behind the camellia shrubs, an emerald pendant in her hand.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbMJBSavgR
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb12MdKgE4B
“What are you doing here?” I say with surprise and a tiny prick of irritation at seeing her in our secret place.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe57vFNbnCF
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsoQ7vZyWt
“The veil is thinnest here,” she says. “This is where I’m sealing it off.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DHSakP36g
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01pJj3TSZw
My heart catches. “No, wait. Please. Can you stop it for just a little while?”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xE36zNV8S
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJE2ngdN8fD
She shakes her head. “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxzLqFunut
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdetu1Cxu3
“No,” I murmur, clutching the bottom of my sweater. Will.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zFvGAg3O7
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcIW7bSCyp
“Cami.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7yubeXmrZ
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KVciA0pGp
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfH0Oj4Jog
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4PLFb5AAE
In my selfish desire to be with Will, I finally see Roanna’s side.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIucNQLJUG
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMPcXgTEu4
“You were right, Ro,” I say, my voice breaking. “I’m sorry.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7Hpi5jqR9
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewdM0uw0Q0
Roanna hurries to my side and hugs me.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVSwswLqg8
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRDJz7uZnX
“Cami,” an even softer voices says.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFj2K6LXLe
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVDe9IVJxC
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdCMHhuizU
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxD6z89upw
“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.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBN47Hvl5A
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJf0eWVZ21X
“Or he could be pulled into ours,” Roanna says.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HI0czCyZO
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTk97clbLFT
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDrgxUYzyz
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkSxfz3tpW
“There will have to be an exchange,” Madame Pommier says. “Equivalent exchange.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSrtedt7ug
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpYCeK8Jrf
“Do it,” Roanna says quietly. “It’ll be okay. I understand now. I belong there.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2E78mdkdti
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVtfATtXXO
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4smXU5EHp
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7coZh9IXV
“Can’t you both stay?” I ask. My voice barely comes out.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJEyplOWME
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjFeoIFwwl
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.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtHyczAjD5
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqforXOlxp
“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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKEndgo8Z1
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAicCTT9zzx
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoN1zDdgGhn
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIkE9KLmnVx
“Goodbye, Cami.” Even if I can’t see the tears in her eyes, I can hear them in her voice.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAj3f59Fucn
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduj3CURgUc
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.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1mVZczhAB
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRMr60kj5x
“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.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZUpQr1ASO
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTi6fML4he
“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.”765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZM2P4Ko8j
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHdJZN6IKy
And somehow, I know what it is.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZBVuGzt5U
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEnGuYvQJZ
“Cami, don’t,” Madame Pommier says, taking a step toward me.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjapEkI1qA
765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNgehxdfhg
The emerald glints in the vanishing light. I thread my arms around Will’s neck and pull his mouth down to mine.765Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyshKb0G7Kp
Penana
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