By the time I reach the room, I’m done.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0NW1FYGs5
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvguPiFjmmt
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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.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5ZuIXkhfO
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgClq092WPn
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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.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zP26vkY9T
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqITudArrjq
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I was in my house.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVgu3TbrSq
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuYuKpCkHo
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I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlT7ha8eSoB
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Totally normal Tuesday.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMBRJcGHNn
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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.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfLZLplh8f
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Then it hits me.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJNLIlPFPX
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The Game of Fate.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaIEAuzym6
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDF3TLExAr
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsXVYieHeT
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1823 BCE.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbAZmRVjGA
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…BCE.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhx1jXwuLMD
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My mouth goes dry.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuEQ64gdqZ
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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.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGop5dykAOC
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DKfgv1OOB
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdnxJAMGoer
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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.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN6iVrbpN4
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8gagbLBz7
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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.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPdlEzMEvt
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLGr5yMTf4
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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.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICIE3qZgEW
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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:153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ov8UzyiN7
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‘Please help.’153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJmzRo9RZr
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY2d3QFEsX
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmHMv4WhD0
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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.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpGr3OnHhs
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGKaZ1mlA2
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0zyldb59r
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—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.153Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LGdHeOqfu
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection149ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9nWfnaEnE 尼

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