By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS703hLe5Dg
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmNrEnPHCM
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYTss854QN
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqV1T3GmiSk
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszoev9WWwm
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbAqcr7mwi
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXLpYCSpem
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJTOxM3Jrn
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP89tjc16HT
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6MDu0PIdB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqp4blEh9Kp
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTigR17zWF
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRMPojTVz7
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ7jo6LmdQY
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwQ0ObI4kM
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRZdi5gUz7
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MB6st6o3x
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzRGDokjMz
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabj6NCbajy
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNwVbgA8m2
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjEtGQ6XVF
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRZnPMRWuS
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOadgpmGBho
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWvpZrvjy5
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDXo0s2nks
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuCwYQJOGv
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDicpG2A6R
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsT5xirVrF
‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wL7ia9BaA
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VX38PAmxi
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnluQLKYcZB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5EQJwpQOWJ
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xSmZVyPpM
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7t2zDwn2xy
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHInDpokEJY
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxN6glp0LO
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMrPijCvpI
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQFoM3qXuv 尼

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