By the time I reach the room, I’m done.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnRr88ng53
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNP4Q3tGua
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4eyoL0zJd
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbv4iBTbnN
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUa5CtZyqbX
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaF4M9Bbbi
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I was in my house.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrN9wGZbRGS
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡymfvUH23Pd
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3qllCFQxb
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Totally normal Tuesday.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsdMSg7Y4T
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaZ1vfAQwO
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Then it hits me.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nWS6G5Zuq
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The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRB0Pja8kV
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UCr2me8it
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9Imj7Pdp7
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1823 BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMYhXMFSiv
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…BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtZqex8lyA
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My mouth goes dry.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK329deryU
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67eZPMrVX2
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD883A3nDKH
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ex4vli9Yn
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeHqubz2PK
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xvluPRj8z
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHviq2559S
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3VSloEbnx
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjBvAHltzG
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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:185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9UyvcDAMI
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‘Please help.’185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsAeR7ulJS
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnuFR9ACFG
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLGXnxx00q
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aeZK3hnuD
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSr6gMuCv7
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQnw2tsqgE
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd83Juw7mjo
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡae8zHHk036
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzPb9ypwia
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection181ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGqTLrnHql 尼

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