By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxB3dPbZbP
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyJDIt8ECI
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTHfE0n87J
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDrOx5xKKq
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7MyKZvoXE
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfqL3QpxGj
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3hnUukVxZ
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8utVSf8itw
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjtx3TFZQs
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AXxwcdDIY
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTkw0dUk9k
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0H6HLzRNZ
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWvsOJyyse
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q0BLTvEWy
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfOSRRUDGt
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypNmN5CZNX
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fW4WYnOFM
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUW73k3n7U6
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCC7E6rAMA
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xFA2u5P0T
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKHrZW61QC
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvR75Gt8cnq
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCieHA1KYL
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHEAFx4T7K
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1aKTOI7FZ
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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.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVADYUBdBfj
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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:183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCfJ1Oasha
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‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ViWurnJWi
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTzRsSL9Q0
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFNrcZZCAF
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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.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSlRRKKJOh
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJcUE1CZle
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlv7ED0wKT
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIeXA4BBHV
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡminkYzqIUg
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeII6swxI0
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyWBiO8nHQ 尼

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