By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGowNjhkstq
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6H54hRdmT
Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHet2NO3Z8
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemdpsqKQjN
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGT0HNwWeH
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDB3lhSbzoo
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8ncymRoXz
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BUQ2w1uRi
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDIasjIkXH
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wGN6lvo4E
I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2snePVkEfX
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjcqySqqiG
I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgttQITPSuT
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0nP3QQb91
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxFNPbtfz5
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKK10gDQlAM
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmapc0uUOO0
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOT5QSVkEKM
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWlXR4wNn2
My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVN2w5O7yr
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSFRCF4v2q
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZM9Rq8UJD
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySZnbhYm8p
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FV5bk1QnU
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmHu3hS0GR
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplaNdpnorK
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHOfhiZeILE
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GzULrJxvb
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaVuvjioFY
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPhooPjNVXN
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oifs2G6DV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lWs8q0Ue1
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuMJQVLqKC
‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUD7YK8lNR
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183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhe1bQLYcRm
I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhhJGe8nS1
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLvvkbuQ8i
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBny3mFt4L1
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmo5C9PXrKZ
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6L5GOasUL
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfBiVIqGDYr
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9pbCMF4cU
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjTIyifP2b
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPkYXxtkyJ 尼

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