By the time I reach the room, I’m done.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp8dpRaMr7
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClrDMpa1pQ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8iCEWbfhm
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucRS7cxY7S
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyZARPoPeH
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQLtt7foDk
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I was in my house.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkHBtgHu7I
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbUkPTRIyz
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZWlGaVuZN
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Totally normal Tuesday.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjvNJdMHdV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNpTemaTu6
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Then it hits me.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVL7wxeTiV
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The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmXIROGPFs
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQOrnIW1mo
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpgICwzYSM
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1823 BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypUjYeUfCO
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…BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TnPMLsWIE
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My mouth goes dry.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ20nUciSww9
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINFYpteBsS
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUX6ObBa9E9
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTHB2f8nyZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPR9HdDmnOM
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7eBWVR78Y
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gsFMRl4Rs
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcKRW92Qd8
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsOyE02JJc
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9G9kFqXLOg
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‘Please help.’185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRKANHhHX2
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzR4jTNTDBP
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2IyWPYOly
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRjnxWYW7q
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIywiZUu9vc
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLrsHed8aP
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PArZUdqh9
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7MEy2qNdu
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDy8CaceDgP
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection181ＰＥＮＡＮＡey4LbR6WoQ 尼

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