By the time I reach the room, I’m done.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgaZl0ikC0
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDn1WKrwSd1
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The servants bow and slip out quietly, the door closing behind them with a click that sounds a little too final.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGri0IPW7l
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDR7gro6Tgw
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My knees hit the floor first, then my hands. The silky fabric of the dress pools around me like spilled moonlight. My heart’s doing drum solos in my chest, and I’m pretty sure I forgot how to breathe somewhere between “Your Highness” and “Princess Ariana.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcz5P87AD6L
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MhHc1xW6h
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvm51rRGGv
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I was in my house.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2J7zSKXbo7
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeOoD8yYHS
I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡck02zEM7e0
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVajUFoxgMd
I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tg4Yql4t5
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Totally normal Tuesday.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GUZl36mQc
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I press my palms against the cold marble and let out a shaky laugh. “Maybe this is, like, an ARG. Super realistic VR thing. Yeah. Sure. Except I didn’t sign up. And the Wi-Fi sucks.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6VjHj3v4m
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Then it hits me.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgvHRrAHkt
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The Game of Fate.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQWpXc6gkz
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sVkaPmv5D
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7JiSR018J
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1823 BCE.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8so0M9pNe1
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…BCE.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJhIrq5bvS
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My mouth goes dry.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTK0UiJpo1W
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I glance around the room again — the carved wooden furniture, the golden oil lamps, the faint smell of smoke and honey in the air.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6xgceEQ5r
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2sTwhoTCM
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLQdhwrlGV
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I stare out the window. The city beyond the palace stretches out under a dusky orange sky, all stone and torches and distant market sounds.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmYlus7PE9
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXXuINtrAt
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For a long moment, I just sit there, stunned. Then, because my brain can’t handle the weight of that sentence, I snort.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIDJNQJG2A
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu33godlLF
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I drop back onto the bed, arms spread wide, staring at the ceiling painted with stars that probably don’t even exist yet in my real world.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5pXAyolmN
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And somewhere far off, maybe deep inside my skull, I swear I can still hear that faint, static voice from the game’s page:41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4CZflE6Ds
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwOkzr4Va2
‘Please help.’41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjMhYHrLWR
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41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77aLSXx953
I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3Gf3E9OLp
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCfBo08EeH
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“If this is a dream, I’ll wake up. If it’s not, I’ll deal with it after eight hours of denial.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpS2UeLDhC
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlCUPCi8I7
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcetsbdls0
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNOP4fYqOl
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOCppCnWdZ
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOo9yrW7ri9
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmwqS1EU0z4
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM4F5PUAXG
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6qP5YpdfT
“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection37ＰＥＮＡＮＡwc8vz9FSXG 尼

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